Trump wants to give money and plane tickets to immigrants who ‘self-deport’

Donald Trump has said he wants to give money and a plane ticket to any immigrant who is in the country illegally who chooses to “self-deport”, and to get those who are “good” back in the US, in a break from his usual hardline immigration rhetoric.

The president, who campaigned on a pledge to carry out mass deportations, said in a taped interview with Fox Noticias that aired on Tuesday that his administration is focused on getting “murderers” out of the country.

For others in the US illegally, he said, he is going to implement “a self-deportation programme”.

Mr Trump offered few details about the plan, including timing, but said the US would provide immigrants with air fare and a stipend.

“We’re going to give them a stipend. We’re going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we’re going to work with them — if they’re good — if we want them back in, we’re going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can,” he said.

Fox Noticias interviewer Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to transportation secretary Sean Duffy, played Mr Trump a clip of a Mexican man who, she said, arrived in the US illegally more than 20 years ago and has children who are American citizens.

It is not clear if the man now has legal permission to be in the country, but Ms Campos-Duffy said the man claimed that even though he cannot vote, he would have supported Mr Trump.

She played a clip of the man saying he agrees that if someone commits a crime, they should be returned to their countries — including himself.

“I look at this man. I say, this is a guy that we want to keep,” Mr Trump replied. “I’ll probably take heat for saying it.”

He then asked if the man was supposed to have been deported, and answered his own question: “No, he didn’t say that. Good.

“I don’t think he’s in any danger of it.”

The Republican president also said he wants to help hotels and farms get the workers they need and recommend people to fill needed positions.

He said that would be “very soothing” for farmers and he ultimately wants workers who are in the US illegally to leave and come back with legal permission, but he did not outline any steps to do that.

“We’re doing a self-deportation and we’re going to make it comfortable for people,” he said. “And we’re going to work with those people to come back into our country legally.”

Fox Noticias said the interview with Mr Trump was taped on Monday.