Donald Trump is single-handedly forcing the Republican presidential candidates into a wide-ranging debate on immigration that party leaders had hoped to avoid.
The dominance of the issue has grown in recent weeks, with the contenders scrambling to respond to Trump’s positions and one-up him when it comes to keeping the border secure.
In just the past few days, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has appeared open to building a wall along the U.S.-Canadian border, while New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suggested asking FedEx founder Fred Smith to help the government design a way to track immigrants who come into the country on visas.
Those remarks came after Trump put his rivals on the spot by proposing an end to birthright citizenship, stirring an intra-party fight over “anchor babies” that has yet to subside.