 "Donald Trump")
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is committed to ending illegal immigration and upholding the rule of law to make the US grow stronger, his running mate Mike Pence has said.
"I think what people heard last night was a plan to end illegal immigration beginning with building a wall along the southern border, ending our catch and release programme, zero tolerance for criminal aliens, finding and apprehending and removing from this country people involved in drug dealing and gang violence that threaten our families," Pence told CNN.
"We're going to bring internal enforcement to bear, fully implement the E-Verify system, and end overstayed visas and have people leave this country after their visa runs out, and that, frankly, at a later date, when all of that has been accomplished, as then we'll be in a position to consider other appropriate measures," the Indiana Governor said.
The American people, Pence said, are tired of more than a generation of political leaders in both political parties talking about ending illegal immigration, but not doing anything about it.
"They talk about border security and enforcing the laws of this country. But we really don't see progress. What you saw last night was clear-eyed, broad-shouldered leadership from someone who put the issue of illegal immigration at the very centre of the national debate," Pence said.
"He laid out in a very real way a road map for securing our borders, enforcing our laws, removing people from this country who represent a threat to our families and to our communities, doing that quickly, and calling on the establishment of a new commission to reform this arcane immigration system that we have in this country, even calling for sun-setting certain provisions of the law so we're continuously as a nation putting America first in the way that we implement and develop immigration policy in this country," Pence said.
"But what you heard Donald Trump say last night, and I think millions of people across this country heard him, is that he's focused on the more than 300 million American citizens and those who legally who long to see us end illegal immigration and making them the priority and leaving those other issues, those that would remain after all of those things are done for a later date," Pence added.
Responding to Trump's Mexico visit, he said the Americans saw the kind of presidential leadership that Donald Trump will bring to the world stage.
"He has articulated that strong commitment to ending illegal immigration in this country. But the American people saw literally on the same day the ability for him to accept an invitation, drop what he was doing, travel to Mexico City, and sit down and have a very substantive and very cordial discussion with President Pena Nieto," Pence said.
"They talked about what they agreed on. Remember, this wasn't a negotiation. This was a conversation in the beginning of a relationship, and I truly do believe that it was remarkable that they came out and both reflected on both of their commitment to end illegal immigration, end the flow of illicit drugs, reform NAFTA, end human trafficking," he said.
