Immigration Reform news 2016: Donald Trump vows to expel all overstaying immigrants

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed Saturday to expel all overstaying immigrants from the U.S. after coming under fire for softening his stance on the immigration policy.

Trump spoke at Des Moines, Iowa during Republican Sen. Joni Ernst's charity event for military veterans, "Joni Ernst's Roast and Ride," where he tried to bounce back from his vacillating immigration stance.

The 70-year-old real estate mogul said he'd employ a tracking system and an e-verify system to screen out overstaying illegal immigrants.

"If we don't enforce visa expiration dates, then we have an open border – it's as simple as that," Trump said, according to Reuters.

If elected as the next American president, Trump said he'd prioritize the deportation of the 11 million illegal immigrants as well as make international gangs and cartels become "a thing of the past."

He also linked the issue of illegal immigration to unemployment.

"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," said Trump. "Equal protection under the law must include the consistent application of our immigration laws."

Trump's signature hardline approach on the issue of immigration, which capitalized on deportation and his plan to build up a wall between the borders of U.S. and Mexico, took a vacillating turn after meeting with Hispanic leaders Aug. 20. Trump reportedly impressed upon them his willingness to soften up on his stance after which his third and newly-designated campaign manager Kellyanne Conway confirmed that Trump's re-considering his position.

This drew the ire of conservatives who expected Trump to be more decisive on his central rallying issue.

"It's just puzzling," the Associated Press quoted Lanhee Chen, a former policy adviser to several Republican presidential candidates, as saying. "This is the issue on which he rose to prominence in the primary and the issue on which he continues to stake much of his campaign."

Trump's delineated seven policy proposals stand in contrast to Clinton's 65 policy proposals on their respective campaign websites.