Donald Trump would be "foolish" if he doesn't back away from the deportation of illegal immigrants, Rep. Sean Duffy said Wednesday, adding that Trump should focus more on border security and enforcing the nation's immigration laws.
"It's impractical," the Wisconsin Republican told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program about Trump's earlier campaign talk of a "deportation force."
Duffy hopes the GOP nominee will flip on the mass deportation issue in his Phoenix policy speech Wednesday night.
"He should stick with making sure we secure our border and enforce our laws on the border," Duffy said. "Focus on those who commit crimes and those who aren't contributing to the economy. Those who are contributing to the American economy and society and are good folks, you're not going to be able to arrest them and send them home. He should change that, no doubt."
But he said that doesn't mean he's describing a form of amnesty.
"Amnesty is citizenship," said Duffy. "Allowing someone to stay who is here working and giving them a legal status is far different than amnesty, which is giving someone complete citizenship. That's the debate there. Hillary Clinton has an open border policy. She's the one who supports sanctuary cities."
But politicians often say things they can't accomplish, he said.
"Hillary Clinton was one who supported traditional marriage," said Duffy. "She supported the Iraq war, and she supported trade. She flipped on all those issues. Donald Trump, I hope, tonight will flip on the deportation force because it's not going to work."
Meanwhile, Duffy said there are people asking Republicans to vote for a third-party candidate who meets their principles, rather than voting for Trump or Clinton, but the bottom line is, there are only two choices.
"We have to lay out all the facts," said Duffy. "You think that Trump is unqualified to be president.
"A lot of people in my district and across middle America and as the polls would show, they've come to a different conclusion. They look at Hillary Clinton and the e-mails that continue to dribble out and the dishonesty and it's another lie. That really sits wrong with people."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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