Republican Donald Trump promised on Monday to be "fair, but firm" toward the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally, a shift in tone that raised questions on whether he's backtracking from previous pledges to push for mass deportations.

The billionaire businessman, whose hard-line approach to immigration and fierce rhetoric propelled him to the GOP presidential nomination, insisted that he's not "flip-flopping" on the divisive issue as he works to broaden his support two and half months to the general election. Polls show him trailing Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in both national polls and battleground states.

But in a meeting with Hispanic activists on Saturday, Trump indicated that he was open to considering allowing those who have not committed crimes, beyond their immigration offenses, to obtain some form of legal status - though attendees made clear Trump has yet to make up his mind.

"The impression I got was that the campaign is working on substantive policy to help the undocumented that are here, including some type of status so they would not be deported," said Pastor Mario Bramnick, president of the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition, who was in attendance.

Bramnick said he'd left the meeting "very encouraged" and "hopeful in anticipating the policy and language" Trump's campaign is expected to release in the coming weeks.

Any walk-back would mark a dramatic reversal for Trump, whose tough stand on immigration has been the driving issue of his campaign. During the GOP primary, Trump vowed to use a "deportation force" to round up and deport the millions of people living in the country illegally - a proposal that excited many of his core supporters, but alienated Hispanic voters who could be pivotal in key states.

Donald Trump flirts with Hispanics on immigration

• Deportations Donald Trump Immigration Politics President The White House
• At 8/22/2016 07:35:00 p.m.
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A day after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reiterated his support for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to restrict immigration, President Obama welcomed Mexican president Peña Nieto to the Oval Office. The two leaders stressed their countries' long-standing friendship.

President Obama : “The United States values tremendously our enduring partnership with Mexico" .

• Enrique Peña Nieto Immigration Politics President Obama The White House
• At 7/22/2016 11:04:00 p.m.
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Four years ago today, I stood with my colleagues in the White House Rose Garden watching President Obama announce a new action to make our immigration policies smarter and more representative of our values as a nation.

This action, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, establishes an avenue for young people who were brought to the United States as children to request temporary relief from deportation on a case-by-case basis if they can demonstrate that they meet several criteria.

As the President said that day, the young people impacted by his announcement "are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper."

We knew standing there that DACA would be impactful, both for the people who would come forward, and for the rest of us who are their families, friends and neighbors.

Even so, the impact DACA recipients have had on their families, communities, and our nation can only be described as extraordinary.

They are students, educators, doctors, and lawyers; close to 730,000 DACA recipients are aspiring Americans, each with a unique story.

On the anniversary of DACA, it’s worth checking out these stories of DACA recipients who are doing so much to inspire.

They know, perhaps better than anyone, that for all of its impact, DACA is not a permanent solution to our nation’s immigration problems. Far from it. We still need Congress to do its job and fix our immigration system.

But the promise I see in the eyes of DACA recipients I meet renews my hope in what’s possible, and offers a glimpse of what we might achieve for the country when we finally achieve legislative reform.

I think of David Uriona, who graduated from Cornell University in 2014 with a degree in Biology and Society and joined Teach for America. As David said, "It was important for me to give back to my community and to connect with kids who needed to see someone like them; to make sure that these kids who were in similar situations knew that they could achieve their dreams."

There are so many stories of the positive impact these individuals are having in their communities and in their country.

I encourage you to take a moment and savor these stories to learn more about how much has changed and how much is possible.

Thanks,

Celebrating 4 years of DACA

• Celebrating DACA Immigration President Obama
• At 6/20/2016 04:45:00 p.m.
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