Trump says ‘no amnesty’ after signaling openness to immigration deal with Democrats
President Donald Trump told reporters that his deportation policy has not changed after suggesting he would be willing to make an immigration deal with Democrats.
President Donald Trump ruled out amnesty for illegal immigrants Nov. 9, a day after an interview aired in which he said his administration’s deportation campaign might have been “too tough” and suggested he could reach an immigration deal with Democrats.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “There won’t be amnesty. Somebody suggested, ‘Will there be amnesty?’ No.”
He described his deportation policy as “very strong” and said enforcement remained focused on “the worst of the worst,” including murderers and other serious criminals.
“Joe Biden allowed 25 million people in. Of that, 11,888 murderers, most of whom committed more than one murder,” he added. “We’ve gotten most of them [out]. We want to get the worst of the worst, and then we’ll see what happens.”
Trump said many illegal immigrants in the U.S. “have good jobs now. They’re productive. Some of them are even paying taxes. And we’re seeing what’s going to happen.”
“But my policy hasn’t changed,” he added. “What we are doing is absolutely the worst of the worst.”
Trump also said he had not told newly appointed White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller that he wanted changes to the deportation policy. Trump named Miller, a longtime architect of the administration’s immigration crackdown, to the position Nov. 6.
His remarks followed criticism from some conservatives over a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired Nov. 8. Speaking with correspondent Ross Douthat, Trump said his deportation policy “might be too tough” and had “both helped and hurt” Republicans in the midterm elections.
He suggested a deal with the incoming Democratic majorities in Congress could allow some illegal immigrants who have been in the country for years to stay, while continuing to remove people he described as killers, drug dealers, and other serious criminals. The comments drew concern from conservatives who favor strong immigration enforcement, as Zeale News previously reported.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin also rejected amnesty Nov. 9 while saying Trump had encouraged him to work with Democrats who had contacted him about immigration legislation.
Speaking to reporters at a counter-drone conference in Maryland, Mullin said “a lot of Democrats” had reached out about working together in the new Congress, Fox News reported.
“I’ve let the President know that those calls are coming in, and the President has said, ‘Let’s start working with them and then let’s meet at some point,’” Mullin said, according to the outlet.
He said he and Trump had not discussed changing immigration enforcement policy, adding, “We’re never going to allow amnesty to happen.”
Mullin suggested Congress could consider permanent legal status for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary protection from deportation and eligbility for work authorization to certain immigrants who came to the country ilegally as children. The program does not confer lawful immigration status.
“If we want to have an immigration reform to where we can look at DACA and figure out a way that these individuals can become maybe legal permanent citizens or something like this, that’ll be up to Congress,” the secretary said, Fox News reported.
Meanwhile, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wrote on X Nov. 9, “If you are here illegally, we will find you, arrest you, and DEPORT you.”
In a separate Nov. 9 release, DHS highlighted 15 people ICE officers had arrested over the weekend, citing convictions that included vehicular homicide, child sexual abuse, and fentanyl distribution.
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