Deny citizenship to babies of illegal immigrants: Trump

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to deny citizenship to the babies of immigrants living in the country illegally as part of an immigration plan that emphasizes border security and deportation for millions.

He would also rescind Obama administration executive orders on immigration.

Trump, the brash billionaire who has taken an early lead in the Republican primary race, described his expanded vision of securing US borders during a wide-ranging interview on Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press.

He said he would push to end the constitutionally protected citizenship rights of children born to families living illegally in the US.

"They have to go," Trump said. "They're illegal."

Native-born children of immigrants - even those living illegally in the US - have been automatically considered US citizens since the adoption of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution in 1868.

The odds of repealing the amendment's citizenship clause would be steep, requiring the votes of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and support from three-fourths of the nation's state legislatures. Republicans in Congress have pushed without success to repeal that provision since 2011.

Trump, who remains a long shot for the White House, has made immigration the focal point of his campaign since announcing his candidacy in June, when he described some Mexican immigrants in the US illegally as "rapists" and "criminals." His tough stance on immigration has appealed to a segment of the Republican base and helped the former reality TV star vault ahead of the crowded Republican presidential field.

Trump's immigration rhetoric has unnerved Republican leaders who want to woo the bloc of Hispanic voters, who have voted overwhelmingly Democratic in recent presidential elections.

Trump's remarks came as his campaign website posted his program for immigration reform. Among its details: Making Mexico pay for a permanent border wall. Mandatory deportation of all "criminal aliens." Tripling the force of immigration officers by eliminating tax credit payments to immigrant families residing illegally in the US.