Donald Trump said Friday that U.S. officials are allowing immigrants to enter the country illegally so they can vote in the November election.
Trump’s views are at odds with election laws that allow only U.S. citizens to be eligible to vote in the presidential election this fall.
“They are letting people pour into this country so they can go and vote,” Trump said during a meeting with a border patrol union leader at Trump Tower in New York City.
The comments came during a talk with officials from the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing border patrol agents that has endorsed Trump.
The organization’s national vice president, Art Del Cueto, told Trump that border patrol agents were given instructions not to deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, even those with criminal records, according to a pool report.
When Trump asked why, De Cueto said: “So they can go ahead and vote before the election.”
Trump called the press pool over to hear the information.
“That’s huge,” Trump said. “You hear a thing like that, and it’s a disgrace. Well, it will be a lot different if I get elected.”
Deportations have skyrocketed under President Obama’s tenure in the White House, but the administration also has put priority on deporting criminals, rather than those among the 11 million immigrants here illegally who are otherwise law-abiding.
Trump has promised to build a wall along the border with Mexico to deter illegal entry, remove those already here and substantially limit legal immigration.
