Only days after a midterm election that left Republicans bruised in the Latino communities they had recently gained, President Trump told CBS's 60 Minutes that his deportation drive may have gone too far. The admission, which he framed as a matter of people who had built lives here, lands in a long national argument over how a country can enforce its borders while still honoring the workers and families already woven into its towns. Whether this confession becomes a change in conduct, or remains a note of regret spoken into a camera, is the question now waiting in Washington.
Trump Says Deportation Policy May Have Been 'Too Tough' on Immigrants With Jobs
Immigrants with long-term jobs and families face possible deportation under enforcement that has drawn scrutiny, according to reporting on the crackdown.
"I think it was too tough," he said, three days after the midterm losses
Mark
Why does this one remark matter? Presidents say all sorts of things in interviews.
Mimi
Because it's a concession from the person who built the policy. He said it was "too tough" on people with good jobs who've been here a decade or more, and he said it three days after the midterm losses.
Mark
He also said the crackdown helped him.
Mimi
Yes, "both helped and hurt." He gave himself an A+ on the border and high marks on removing the bad ones. The criticism is narrow: people with jobs and one violation.
Luke
Narrow is the key word. He said it was too tough, but nothing in the reporting says any policy is changing.
Mark
And the Miller appointment points the other way?
Mimi
Trump replaced Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller on Friday. Miller is a hardliner tied to these policies, and he pushed for 3,000 arrests a day.
Luke
Careful, though. We don't know what Miller will do in the role. The reporting says it's unclear whether strategy shifts.
Mark
What about the voters?
Mimi
Support fell in South Texas and heavily Latino areas that had swung toward Republicans. A South Florida congressman said many Hispanic Trump voters feel betrayed, and 58% think the actions have gone too far.
Luke
But Republicans still edge Democrats on trust, 43% to 41%. And we can't say from this that immigration alone caused the losses. Trump's own read is that it cut both ways.
Mark
And the offer to Democrats?
Mimi
He said he'd love to do something on immigration with them. That's an intention, not a proposal.
Il Polso
- A president who built his name on the border is now saying his crackdown may have swept up people with steady jobs and years of roots.
- Republicans lost ground in South Texas and other heavily Latino areas, and a congressman says Hispanic voters who backed Trump feel betrayed.
- Polling shows 58% believe immigration actions have gone too far, pressing the White House to justify its tactics to voters.
- Trump floated talks with Democrats on immigration, while the appointment of hardliner Stephen Miller raises doubt about any real shift in enforcement.
- The outcome remains open: rhetoric has softened, but arrests and deportations continue, and the test is whether the practice changes.
Only days after a midterm election that left Republicans bruised in the Latino communities they had recently gained, President Trump told CBS's 60 Minutes that his deportation drive may have gone too far. The admission, which he framed as a matter of people who had built lives here, lands in a long national argument over how a country can enforce its borders while still honoring the workers and families already woven into its towns. Whether this confession becomes a change in conduct, or remains a note of regret spoken into a camera, is the question now waiting in Washington.
Three days after Republicans took heavy losses in the midterm elections, President Trump sat down with 60 Minutes and said what his critics had been saying for months: his deportation policy may have been "too tough." Correspondent Ross Douthat pressed him on people who have lived in the United States for a decade or more, many holding good jobs, whose only violation was entering the country illegally.
Trump described a country divided. Some want such people removed, he said, while others see them as good neighbors working at landscaping companies and hotels, paying taxes. The crackdown, he acknowledged, both helped and hurt him at the polls. He gave himself an "A+" for closing the border, but the harm, in his telling, came from taking people who had built ordinary, productive lives.
The backdrop is stark. Support for Republicans fell sharply in South Texas and other Latino areas that had recently moved toward them. One South Florida congressman said many Hispanic Trump voters feel betrayed, and 58% of respondents in cited polling believe the administration has gone too far.
Whether the words mean a change in practice is unclear. Trump replaced chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, a hardliner, and said he would "love to do something on immigration" with Democrats who take control of Congress next year. The real test, the story suggests, will be whether enforcement itself changes, or only the rhetoric.
Three days after Republicans took heavy losses in the midterm elections, President Trump sat down with 60 Minutes and said something his critics have been saying for months: his deportation policy may have been "too tough."
The interview was conducted by correspondent Ross Douthat. Trump framed the issue around people who have lived in the United States for a decade or more. His administration's hardline approach, he said, had swept up immigrants who held good jobs and whose one violation was entering the country illegally.
He described a split in public opinion. Part of the country, he said, believes such people should be removed. Another large part believes they should be allowed to stay if they are good people, working at a landscaping company or a hotel, and in some cases paying taxes. "I think it was too tough," he said, adding that many people would call the policy great while many others find it too harsh.
Trump said the crackdown "both helped and hurt" him at the polls. He gave himself an "A+" for closing the border and said he gets "very high marks for getting the bad ones out." The hurt, in his telling, came from taking people with good jobs.
The political backdrop is stark. Support for the GOP fell sharply in South Texas and other heavily Latino areas that had moved toward Republicans two years earlier. His 2024 victory was fueled partly by voter discontent with former President Joe Biden's immigration policies, including the surge in unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Since Trump returned to office, illegal crossings have fallen, while federal officials have stepped up arrests and deportations in the interior. Detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have reached record highs, and Miller pushed for a goal of 3,000 arrests per day last year.
The administration has said its priority is to arrest the "worst first," while warning that anyone in the country illegally can be arrested and deported. It has defended its approach as targeting public safety threats. Yet a large share of those arrested have had no offenses beyond immigration violations, and several of its tactics have drawn scrutiny, including its practice of sending some deportees to places other than their home countries.
Some Republicans have pushed back. One congressman from South Florida said that many Hispanics who voted for Trump in 2024 "feel betrayed." In polling cited in the report, 58% think the administration's actions on immigration have gone too far. Even so, voters trust Republicans slightly more than Democrats to handle immigration, 43% to 41%.
Whether Trump's words signal a change in practice is unclear. On Friday he replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, a hardliner associated with the administration's immigration policies. Trump also said he would "love to do something on immigration" with congressional Democrats, who will control the House and Senate starting next year. The test will be whether enforcement changes, or only the rhetoric.
Citazioni salienti
I think it was too tough.— President Trump, 60 Minutes
The crackdown both helped and hurt him at the polls; he'd love to do something on immigration with Democrats.— President Trump, paraphrased
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