title: Factbox: Trump's policies on immigration, economy, other issues
text: (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to build a wall on the border with Mexico, boost spending on the military and slap trade tariffs on China. Here are those positions and others the New York businessman, who has never held elective office, has put forward to convince the American people that he should be the next U.S. chief executive. (For a Factbox on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton’s proposals, please see) Trump has proposed collapsing the current seven income tax brackets to three with rates of 12 percent, 25 percent and 33 percent. The current top rate is 39.6 percent. He also would eliminate the estate tax, and slash the corporate rate to 15 percent from 35 percent. Trump has proposed increasing spending on the U.S. military and infrastructure but says he would reduce spending on other categories by 1 percent each year. However, the Social Security and Medicare programs for the elderly would be exempt from cuts. His plan would allow families to deduct childcare costs from income taxes and offer further support through an existing tax credit for lower-income people. He would also provide six weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers through temporary unemployment insurance. He has proposed paying for it by cracking down on fraud in the unemployment insurance program and through other changes to the system. Some economists questioned whether Trump’s ideas for reducing spending would be enough to make up for major tax cuts, particularly since many Republicans believe Medicare and Social Security must be revamped to control government outlays. Trump launched his presidential campaign with his vow to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and has said he would insist that the United States’ southern neighbor pay for it. He has promised to triple the number of immigration enforcement officers, hire more Border Patrol agents and boost penalties for overstaying visas. Trump has said he would prioritize the deportation of people in the United States illegally who have committed crimes and of those who have arrived recently or overstayed visas. He would require people seeking legal status to leave and reapply. Trump said that after his immigration goals are achieved, he would determine what to do about people still in the country illegally. Trump has proposed ideological screening, or “extreme vetting,” of people coming to the United States to determine whether they share American values. He has proposed a ban on immigration from countries where vetting would be difficult. Initially, he proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims from entering the United States. Critics, including some of Trump’s defeated rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, said that policy would be discriminatory and likely violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion. Others have since said his “extreme vetting” idea might not be feasible. Trump has promised a “dismantling” of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law enacted following the financial crisis, but has given few details. The Republican Party’s platform calls for reinstating Glass-Steagall, the 1930s-era law that forced the separation of investment banks from deposit-taking institutions. Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, said in July that his campaign backed this change. Republican lawmakers have so far been unable to undo many of their most-despised pieces of the Dodd-Frank law, and many in their ranks oppose a return to Glass-Steagall. Trump has offered few details about his plans to fight Islamic State but has said he would “knock the hell out of” the militant group. He says he is keeping the details of strategy a secret so as not to disclose them to the enemy. Trump has said if he wins, he would give U.S. generals 30 days after he takes office on Jan. 20, 2017 to propose their own plans. Trump has said he opposes accepting refugees fleeing violence in Syria, and instead has said he would create “safe zones” there, which he says would be funded by Gulf states. President Barack Obama has said a safe zone in Syria would require a large U.S. military commitment, something that could prove to be unpopular with Americans weary of lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump has said he would have a “very, very good” relationship with Russia. He has said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was a better leader than Obama. Trump has said could work with Russia to combat Islamic State. He also said he would look into recognizing Crimea, seized from Ukraine in 2014, as Russian territory and lifting sanctions on Russia imposed by Western nations for what they called an illegal land grab. Trump has criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying some U.S. allies have not met their defense commitments. In July, he said if Russia attacked a NATO member, he would consider whether the country has paid up before providing defense.   NATO leaders say the sanctions against Russia are key to persuading it to change that country’s behavior in Ukraine, where it has backed ethnic Russian separatists, and that the alliance has long been focused on fighting international terrorism. Trump has made criticism of China’s trade practices a central campaign theme. He has vowed to formally label China a currency manipulator, impose tariffs on Chinese imports and bring unfair trade cases as punishment for what he believes are improper subsidies. Trump has called for a stronger U.S. military presence in the South China Sea. He has said he would pull the United States out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. Though the trade agreement does not include China, Trump has said he is concerned it could try to enter it through the “back door.” TPP supporters, including Obama, have said China hoped to reach its own deal that would make it the leader in Asian trade. They have said the pact would enable the United States to take a leadership role in the region instead of China. 