Trump Insists No Flip-Flopping on Immigration; Trump Seeks to Gain Ground After Reshuffle
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Don't call Donald Trump a flip-flopper, especially when it comes to immigration. The GOP presidential candidate pushing back on reports that he may be softening his stance and thinking of ways to help undocumented immigrants stay in the United States legally.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're dealing with people. We have to be very firm. We have to be very, very strong when people come in illegally. We have a lot of people that want to come in through the legal process. It's not fair for them. And we're working with a lot of people in the Hispanic community to try and come up with an answer.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: So you're not flip-flopping?</s>TRUMP: No, I'm not flip-flopping. We want to come up with a really fair but firm answer. That should be very firm. Look, we want to come up with something fair.</s>COSTELLO: All right, that's what Trump said on "FOX & FRIENDS" this morning. Questions about Mr. Trump's policy that were raised after a weekend meeting with Hispanic advisers to his campaign. What Trump reportedly said he wanted a, quote, "humane and efficient way to deal with undocumented immigrants." Trump's campaign manager downplaying those comments in an interview with CNN.</s>CONWAY: So what Donald Trump said yesterday in that meeting differed very little from what he has said publicly, Dana, including in his convention speech last month in Cleveland. It's that we need a, quote, "fair," end quote, humane way of dealing with what is estimated to be about 11 million illegal immigrants in this country. Nothing was said yesterday that differs from what Mr. Trump has said previously.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me play something from what Mr. Trump has said previously. Listen to what he said back in November.</s>TRUMP: You're going to have a deportation force and you're going to do it humanely and inexpensively.</s>MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC HOST, "MORNING JOE": But what are they going to be, ripped out of their homes?</s>TRUMP: Can I tell you?</s>BRZEZINSKI: How?</s>TRUMP: They're going back where they came. If they came from a certain country they're going to be brought back to their country. That's the way it's supposed to be.</s>BASH: So does Donald Trump still support that? A deportation force removing the 11 million or so undocumented immigrants?</s>CONWAY: What he supports -- and if you go back to his convention speech a month ago, Dana, what he supports is to make sure that we enforce the law, that we are respectful of those Americans who are looking for well-paying jobs, and that we are fair and humane for those who live among us in this country.</s>BASH: So --</s>CONWAY: And as the weeks unfold -- as the weeks unfold he will lay out the specifics of that plan that he would implement as president of the United States.</s>BASH: Will that plan include a deportation force, the kind that he just -- you just heard in that sound bite and that he talked about during the Republican primaries?</s>CONWAY: To be determined.</s>COSTELLO: All right. Questions about Trump's immigration stance as he seemingly try to woo minorities after months of controversial comments. For more on that, I want to bring in CNN's Sunlen Serfaty. Good morning, Sunlen.</s>SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. And Trump's controversial statements over immigration and these new questions over his immigration stance did come out of a meeting where he was trying to reach out to Hispanic voters. His newly formed Hispanic advisory council and to truly court minority groups of voters, a group that he has struggled with so greatly throughout this campaign. But with his new campaign format and his new campaign team firmly in place, it does appear that Trump is at least trying in his rhetoric into new words, debut some new messaging, reaching out to expand his base. And that's -- his base. And that's something we've really seen him do just in the last week at multiple campaign rallies. Really start to release this new campaign rhetoric, reaching out, in particular, to African-American voters. Here's a small part of what he's had to say.</s>TRUMP: I've asked the African-American community to honor me with their vote. You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?</s>SERFATY: So that's just there, a small slice of what Donald Trump is bringing now to the campaign trail, although he is delivering many of those remarks in front of predominantly white audiences. It should be noted, Carol, this is such a bill hill for him to climb. The latest poll has Trump support with African-Americans at just 1 percent compared to Clinton's 91 percent -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you. So let's talk about this. I'm joined now by Congressman Brian Babin. He represents the 36th Congressional District of Texas and is a Trump supporter. Welcome, sir.</s>REP.  BRIAN BABIN (R), TEXAS: Thank you, Carol. Good to be with you.</s>COSTELLO: Nice to have you here. Do you think Donald Trump is flip- flopping?</s>BABIN: No, I do not. I think he's been very, very consistent. You know, he's -- if it hadn't been for Donald Trump, we wouldn't even be talking about the immigration problems that this nation is facing today. And I think he's been very consistent. He wants to enforce the law. He wants to uphold the Constitution. And he wants to secure the borders.</s>COSTELLO: So you are in favor of a deportation force. And you believe that he is still in favor of implementing something like that.</s>BABIN: Well, now what I'm in favor of are criminal alien deportations. We've had 86,000 criminal aliens who have been released from prisons and their countries don't take them back. I'm very, very concerned about that. But if we take deportation off the table, we may as well take sovereignty off the table as well. That's got to be --</s>COSTELLO: So --</s>BABIN: That's got to be -- the law must be enforced.</s>COSTELLO: So you're talk about the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States I assume. So Mr. Trump said that he would deport them in a humane and efficient way. What do you suppose that means?</s>BABIN: You know, I think, as the campaign goes on, we're going to see more specifics come out. But, you know, it goes without saying if the current administration, which Secretary Hillary Clinton has been part of, has certainly not secured the borders, has certainly continued attracting and bringing folks illegally into this nation who can compete with American workers --</s>COSTELLO: Well, I'd like to focus on deporting these 11 million people because it would come at enormous cost to taxpayers. And I'm just trying to figure out what Mr. Trump means when he's going to come up with a humane and efficient way to rid the countries of all of the -- to rid this country of all these people.</s>BABIN: Well, when you say rid this country of all these people, I think in a humane way, my interpretation is that he's going to take this slowly, he's going to talk -- he's going to reach out, as he's already done, to Hispanics. And it's not just Hispanics coming in either. I've been to that border twice. I'm from Texas. We've got folks coming in across our border down there in south Texas who are from the Middle East, from Africa and all over the world.</s>COSTELLO: Like how many?</s>BABIN: We've seen -- well, last -- last year alone, we had 47,000 Cubans seeking asylum. They came in across the border. And we've had a number of ISIS operatives apprehended on the border.</s>COSTELLO: But aren't -- but doesn't the United States accept Cubans?</s>BABIN: They do. But there is a -- there is a situation, where if Cubans step foot -- you know, across the border, then they get asylum, but if they come in by boat, they don't. It's a crazy regulation. I'm not going down that rabbit trail. The question here is --</s>COSTELLO: Well, no, but I'm intrigued by that.</s>BABIN: The question, Carol --</s>COSTELLO: Should that change in your mind?</s>BABIN: The question is securing the border -- ma'am?</s>COSTELLO: Yes.</s>BABIN: The question is securing the border and freeing Americans up to find the jobs that they need. We are coming out of this recession, the slowest rate that we've seen since the 1940s. And Americans need these jobs.</s>COSTELLO: But let me ask you this.</s>BABIN: We shouldn't be opening our doors to people who are going to compete with the American labors and American workers.</s>COSTELLO: Let me -- let me ask you this. You said that the -- did you say that there are ISIS supporters coming over the border from Mexico?</s>BABIN: Yes, I can. I can say that.</s>COSTELLO: Can you confirm who they are and where they've gone and how many?</s>BABIN: They have been apprehended. I can't tell you. I think there was about six in one group. It is documented. I've been down there two or three times. I was just at the El Paso Center, what we call the Epic Center. And there's some folks coming across that border not just looking for jobs. There's a lot of human trafficking. There's a lot of drugs.</s>COSTELLO: So where are these ISIS supporters coming from? What countries?</s>BABIN: Well, you know, all I can say is they're coming from countries that are ISIS hot spots and it's happening. You know --</s>COSTELLO: Like Iraq and Syria?</s>BABIN: Any way you -- any way you want to cut this, there are people who want to do us harm, who are sympathetic to ISIS and they're coming across this border. They're coming up through Central America and through Mexico. And they're here. You don't have to look any further than San Bernardino --</s>COSTELLO: So --</s>BABIN: -- Garland, Texas, the Boston marathon bombing, Orlando, Florida.</s>COSTELLO: So I want to get specifics because this is very scary to most Americans. So you have seen these ISIS supporters in custody or talked to ICE agents about these particular people, and where are they now? Are they -- have they been sent back?</s>BABIN: I can't tell you that.</s>COSTELLO: Are they roaming the country?</s>BABIN: I have not personally --</s>COSTELLO: Are they in prison?</s>BABIN: Ma'am, you're trying to put -- you're trying to put words in my mouth. I have not personally seen this. I have talked to Border Patrol agents on the south Texas border and there have been ISIS sympathizers who have been apprehended on our south Texas border. But you're going down a rabbit trail here, ma'am. The biggest thing here is that Donald Trump, he's a plain-talking American who is very, very sympathetic to the American workers and he's -- he's very intent on changing the things that have harmed America. And our open borders is one of those --</s>COSTELLO: Well, let me -- OK, let me go down another rabbit trail, if you will.</s>BABIN: Another rabbit trail, that's right.</s>COSTELLO: Mr. Trump is trying to reach out to minority voters and not just to Hispanic and Latino voters. He said Democrats have failed African-Americans. So why the hell not vote for him? Our Alisyn Camerota asked his running mate Mike Pence about his pitch. Here's Mike Pence's take, let's listen.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: On Friday night, Donald Trump was in Michigan, as you know, and he was making an appeal to African-American voters.</s>GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: True.</s>CAMEROTA: And he used some language and messaging that some people have taken umbrage with. I'll read some of it to you. He said, "You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. You have 58 percent youth unemployment. What the hell do you have to lose?" That was an appeal to vote for the Pence -- Trump- Pence ticket. What do you think of that message?</s>PENCE: Well, it was such an honor for me and really a privilege to be with Donald Trump earlier in the day as we toured neighborhoods devastated by the flooding in Baton Rouge. I saw -- I saw this broad shouldered leader and his profound compassion for the hurting families in Louisiana. And I think that message and other messages all proceed from the fact that Donald Trump and I both believe that we can do better for every American. We can get this economy moving again. The liberal Democratic policies of our major cities have resulted in failing schools and unsafe streets in too many areas. And Donald Trump is speaking to that boldly. He really believes, and I agree with him, that by getting this economy moving again, lower taxes, rolling back regulation, focusing on American energy and trade deals that work for Americans and also by expanding school choice.</s>CAMEROTA: So in terms of the language that he used on Friday night, you were OK with that? The "you're living in poverty, you have no jobs, what the hell do you have to lose?" You were OK with it being that blunt of a message?</s>PENCE: Well, look, Donald Trump is not a experienced politician who carefully selects his words, speaks right from his heart, right from his mouth.</s>COSTELLO: Well, here's the thing, Congressman. Many African- Americans say Trump's outreach was not for them, but for white voters who think Trump is racist because Mr. Trump chose to make those remarks in front of a largely white audience. Can you address that?</s>BABIN: I sure can. I don't think Mr. Trump's got a racist bone in his body. I think he is concerned about all Americans. What he said -- you know, personally, I would not have chosen the same language that he chose. But he is not a politician. You know, the political elites are the ones that got us in the mess we're in today. All these problems that America faces. And quite frankly, we've been -- 60 percent of Americans think that the country is going in the wrong direction. And Mr. Trump has promised to take us in the opposite direction. And I think the average American wants to come to the polls. And I think we're going to surprise some folks. I believe Mr. Trump is going to surprise a lot of people, just like Ronald Reagan surprised them back in 1980. And I think it's going to be a turnout --</s>COSTELLO: Well, the polls don't --- the polls don't show that.</s>BABIN: You're going to be -- ma'am?</s>COSTELLO: The polls don't show that. He's got 1 percent support among African-Americans. And I just want to get to this. Do you think it would be more effective perhaps if Mr. Trump would apologize for the birther talk or that President Obama founded ISIS? Do you think those things might be turning off African-American voters? And if Mr. Trump just said, you know, I didn't mean that stuff about the birther stuff, would that appease voters? Should he say something like that? Should he apologize?</s>BABIN: I don't think he's got a thing to apologize for. I believe that he's concerned. He's not a -- he's not a professional politician. But you don't have to be a professional politician to identify the problems and to fix them as the president. You don't have to be a politician to become the president. We're looking at his opponent, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who hasn't had a press conference in 260 days because she didn't want to answer questions about the failed policies under her as the secretary of state and under President Obama's administration. I think people are very concerned about the direction of this country. And as far as the polls go, I think there are a lot of people who may be undecided and who will surprise -- remember, President Carter was ahead of Ronald Reagan at this point in time back in 1980. I was around. I was a Reagan supporter at that time and it shocked -- the American people spoke and it shocked a lot of professional elites and the establishment. Just like this is going to be a shock in November, just a few months.</s>COSTELLO: All right, we've got 77 days to go. Congressman Babin, thank you so much for joining me this morning. Still to come in the --</s>BABIN: Thank you.</s>COSTELLO: You're welcome. Another conservative media voice advising team Trump but will it change his style or amplify it? Hear from his VP pick next.