TRENTON -- Donald Trump's views on immigration have been a source of confusion lately, with some of his supporters -- including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- left to explain where exactly the Republican presidential nominee stands.
But will Trump clear it up this week? The celebrity businessman and former Atlantic City casino tycoon tweeted Sunday night that he will deliver a speech on the issue Wednesday in Arizona.
Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a key component in his platform, vowing to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border and to deport the more than 11 million immigrants living without documentation in America.
An estimated 509,000 unauthorized immigrants live in New Jersey, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
But in recent weeks, he appeared to soften his stance, saying that undocumented immigrants may be allowed to stay if they pay back taxes.
"We're not looking to hurt people," the real estate magnate told Fox News last week.
In recent days, however, Trump appeared to shift once again. During an interview with CNN, he was asked if undocumented immigrants who have lived here peacefully could be deported.
"There is a very good chance the answer could be yes," he said. "We're going to see what happens."
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, another Trump adviser, told NJ Advance Media last week that Christie was partially responsible for prodding Trump to shift on immigration.
During an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Christie was asked to clarify Trump's stance. The governor said "we're not going to have amnesty."
"What we're going to do is to get those who are breaking the law out of the country as quickly as possible to make sure then that you deal with people in a humane way," said Christie, the leader of Trump's transition team.
Asked if this is a "softening" of Trump's original position, Christie said "this is a guy who has been very consistent on no amnesty, no legalization, for folks who have been coming to the country illegally.
"And that has always been the underpinning of his policy, along with the building of the wall on the United States-Mexican border," the governor added. "And those things have remained completely consistent."
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.