We don’t see eye to eye with Mr. Trump on everything. In our opinion, legal immigrants are an asset to the country. We believe that deporting 11 million people is unworkable, and we hope in the end Mr. Trump comes to this same conclusion. Deportation should be pursued only when an illegal immigrant has committed a felony or become a “public charge.”

But the difference here is smaller than often portrayed. Although Mr. Trump is depicted as a close-the-doors nativist, he has said that he favors legal immigration, and he has hired thousands of legal immigrants. His proposals on illegal immigration—to build a wall, increase enforcement of the law, deport criminal aliens, defund sanctuary cities, and reduce visa overstays—are reasonable and sensible given that voters demand action.

We are also free traders and oppose punitive tariffs. The U.S. needs trade. Yet it also must have a president willing to negotiate from a position of strength with countries that manipulate their currencies, steal Americans’ intellectual property, or compel companies to disclose trade secrets as a condition of entering their markets. Negotiating better trade deals and enforcing the current ones would help the U.S. economy.

Ideological purists miss a practical point.‎Right or wrong, working-class Americans believe that they disproportionately bear the burdens of free-trade deals. Taking a tougher stance might be necessary to restore dwindling support for open markets.