We can have a conversation is political speak for I don’t dare tell you my true feelings on illegals. I guess he stuck his finger in the wind to see which way it was blowing politically for him.
Ted's a smart guy. Probably the smartest person running for president at this time. He knows perfectly well which way the wind is blowing on this issue, which is why his statement about having a "conversation" about illegals present in the country, exposes his shameful position on the matter.
It doesn't take a seer or a genius to realize that someone is exerting real and inordinate influence on Ted. Someone who wants the status quo, vis a vis illegal aliens, to continue.
Ted is trying hard to straddle the same fence that others before him have lost their balance on. Like those ex-candidates who fell by the way, he's going to quickly find that the voters see right through any weakness on illegal immigration.
He has K-Street donors that determine his position on immigration. They hoped that the issue would die down and Trump would be gone so they let Ted come out and sound tough on immigration. The key word being "sound."