Trump doesn't soften on immigration but skips some details

If you were looking for a big softening on immigration from Donald Trump Wednesday night, you didn't get it.

Yes, Trump stopped short of addressing what would happen to every last illegal immigrant in the United States. He even downplayed the significance of the frequently cited 11 million figure, saying the real number of illegal immigrants could be anywhere from 3 million to 30 million.

The Republican presidential nominee, fresh from a controversial butlargely successful trip to Mexico, emphasized his respect for the neighboring country's president, the Mexican people and Americans of Mexican ancestry. He argued that his immigration policies would be good for Latino Americans, as well as African Americans. He conceded that many illegal immigrants were good people, more clearly than in his campaign announcement speech that became known for the "Mexican rapists" line.

But there was little else in Trump's rhetoric and even less in the substance of his ten-point plan during this highly anticipated speech that sought to moderate or dilute his tough message on immigration.

Trump pledged to continue making the removal of criminal aliens — that is, the subset of illegal immigrants who are being processed for committing other crimes — the top enforcement priority. "Day one, my first hour in office, they are gone," he said.