Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Saturday said he will launch a crackdown on illegal immigrants and start deporting them immediately if elected to power, reported AFP. The 70-year-old business tycoon was addressing supporters in Des Moines, Iowa, when he said, “On Day One, I am going to begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country."

Trump said he will ensure that the United States has a strong policy in place to ensure that people with expired visas leave the country immediately, reported Reuters. He said, "I am going to build a wall along the Mexican border, institute nationwide e-verification, stop illegal immigrants from accessing welfare and entitlements and develop an exit-entry tracking system.” According to BBC, immigration has been a key issue in Trump's campaign. However, he did not delve much into other details about his plans.

He also brought up the recent crossfire in which a cousin of National Basketball Association icon Dwyane Wade got killed. Nykea Aldridge was shot dead in Chicago earlier this week. He linked the illegal immigrant issue with employment and promised to help African Americans to find jobs. Trump said, “Every time an African-American citizen, or any citizen, loses their job to an illegal immigrant, the rights of that American citizen have been violated."