Channeling Mitt Romney, Sen. Jeff Sessions says illegal immigrants must 'self-deport' under Trump plan

One of Donald Trump's staunchest supporters says illegal immigrants must "self-deport" as part of the Republican presidential nominee's immigration plan.

"You basically have a self-deport," Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) told CNN on Wednesday. "If you want to get a legal status in the United States ... you go to your home country and then you apply and then you come back in with legal status."

CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota followed up, asking, "Self deportation is what you believe Donald Trump now believes in?"

Sessions responded by saying Trump "has discussed that and will wrestle with it."

In 2012, Trump called then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's "self-deportation" plan "mean-spirited" and "crazy."

“I said it was crazy, because it doesn’t work. He was talking about people are just going to walk out of the country," Trump told Fox News' Bret Baier in November.

Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, have said they would have a "deportation force" send illegal immigrants out of the country. While it's still not clear exactly how that plan might be executed, Pence said during the vice presidential debate Tuesday night, "We have a deportation force. It's called Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

(H/T: Washington Examiner)

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