Listen to What Trump is Really Saying About Immigration

The Republican front-runner was just getting warmed up.

"Now, a lot of these people are helping us," Trump said. "Whether it's [picking] the grapes, or whether it's jobs. And sometimes, it's jobs -- in all fairness, I love our country -- but sometimes it's jobs that a citizen of the United States doesn't want to do. I mean, there are jobs that a lot of people don't want to do."

That's what we used to call: truth. Hard truth. But truth just the same. The sort you won't hear from other presidential hopefuls in either party who are afraid of the backlash.

As for illegal immigrants, Trump said he wants to "move them out, and then we're going to move them back in and let them be legal. But they have to be in here legally."

The billionaire even expressed sympathy for undocumented young people brought here by their parents as children -- a group that Hillary Clinton has been known to sprint away from when they ambush her on the campaign trail.

"The Dreamers," Trump said. "It's a tough situation. We're going to do something. And one of the things we're going to do is expedite. When somebody is terrific, we want them back here. But they have to be [here] legally."

Wow. What's next? "Dreamers for Trump?"

Some will say that the real estate mogul's stance on immigration is evolving, or that he's moderating his tone, or that he's trying to appear less sensational and more serious.

But something else might be happening here. Trump could simply be going beyond his inflammatory sound bites -- about how the United States is a "dumping ground" for Mexico, about how our neighbor is "sending people that have lots of problems" including criminals and rapists, about how he wants to "build a great, great wall" and stick Mexico with the bill, and about how "tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border."

And now Trump is trying to complete his answer. He isn't hedging, pandering or flip-flopping. Right-wingers bristled at his comments about American workers. Trump didn't flinch -- any more than he did when left-wingers criticized his comments about Mexico. No matter who is firing at him, he stands his ground.

If you're pro legal immigration and honest enough to admit that you don't condone illegal immigration, and you're tired of being sold out by politicians who tell you what you want to hear and then leave you hanging, isn't this kind of steadfastness exactly what you want in a leader?

It's a crazy world -- one where you can be both pro-immigrant and pro-Trump.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.