WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump said Sunday that his administration’s immigration crackdown was “too tough” in some cases and acknowledged that deporting undocumented immigrants without criminal records hurt Republicans in the midterm elections.
In a CBS 60 Minutes interview, Trump defended removing people convicted of violent crimes and drug offenses but said longtime workers in hotels, landscaping and other service industries should potentially be allowed to remain in the country.
“Get the killers out. Get the rapists out,” Trump said, before adding that people who have lived in the United States for 10 or 15 years and held steady jobs could be offered “some kind of legal status.”
Trump explicitly conceded that his deportation policy had “helped and hurt” Republicans, saying many voters believed the administration went too far by removing people whose primary offense was entering the country illegally.
The comments represent a significant rhetorical shift after nearly two years of aggressive enforcement and roughly 1 million deportations. Polling before the election had shown declining public support for the administration’s approach.
Trump first floated a bipartisan immigration agreement on election night, when Republicans lost both chambers of Congress. He said Sunday he believes some incoming Democrats, including Sens.-elect James Talarico and Annie Andrews, could be open to negotiations.
The shift comes even as Trump has elevated hardline immigration adviser Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
