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GOP Forum Focuses on Illegal Immigration

Despite Donald Trump’s absence.

Donald Trump may have been absent, but his influence over the Republican presidential primary was not during a GOP candidate forum in New Hampshire on Monday. Each of the 11 candidates on stage touted their experience and answered rapid-fire questions, with many taking a hard line on illegal immigration and securing the U.S. border—a focal point of Trump’s campaign that has fueled his rise to a GOP frontrunner. U.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Marco Rubio of Florida appeared via video from Washington, where they attempted to de-fund Planned Parenthood in a high-profile vote. The forum served as a preview for Thursday's first Republican debate in Cleveland, where only the top 10 GOP candidates in an aggregate of polls will face off in the nationally televised event.