Trump in 2012: ‘I don’t believe in’ deporting many illegal immigrants

Donald Trump had a very different view on deporting undocumented immigrants three years before he announced his presidential bid. 

In a June 2012 interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Trump said he didn’t believe in deporting immigrants who “had done a great job,” according to CNN’s KFile. 

Trump said he was “probably down the middle” when asked about his views on immigrant labor. 

{mosads}“Because I also understand how, as an example, you have people in this country for 20 years, they’ve done a great job, they’ve done wonderfully, they’ve gone to school, they’ve gotten good marks, they’re productive — now we’re supposed to send them out of the country. I don’t believe in that, Michelle, and you understand that,” he told the host. “I don’t believe in a lot things that are being said.”

According to CNN, the Supreme Court’s decision on Arizona’s controversial immigration law came a day prior to Trump’s comments. 

“Both sides lost,” Trump said about the ruling in Arizona v. United States that allowed police to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has promised to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and has said he would deport all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. 

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” Trump said as he kicked off his presidential campaign in June 2015. 

“They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”