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The White House on Monday morning would not rule out the administration working with Democrats on a “deal” for illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than a decade, as Republicans prepare to lose control of Congress in January.
President Donald Trump, in his first interview since the Republican Party’s midterm defeats, opened the door to the possibility of considering an amnesty.
“The president never uttered the word amnesty,” a White House official insisted to Fox News Digital.
“We want the Democrats to show their cards,” the official revealed.
President Trump says increased ICE enforcement is forcing illegal immigrants and violent criminals to leave the United States, citing reverse migration, releases from foreign prisons and increased subway raids. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump admits immigration enforcement may have been too ‘tough’ in first interview since midterms
They said: “There has never been a stronger president on immigration control than President Trump. »
“Thanks to his efforts, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the United States and we have the most secure border in American history. As the President has said, he is willing to work with anyone to improve the lives of Americans and make America safe again.”
In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday, host Ross Douthat asked Trump how willing he is to work with Democrats on immigration as he enters the home stretch of his presidency.
“I would love to do something on immigration,” the president responded. “I think (immigration) has both helped and hurt. I think I get an A+ for closing the border. I get really high marks for getting the bad guys out, but I’m hurt because we also let in people who had good jobs, which created a violation or violation of the law – that is, they entered the country illegally.”
Trump, however, argued that there are people in the United States who want to see all illegal aliens deported.
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But, Trump said, “if they’re good people who work at a landscaping company or a hotel, or do something, right? And in some cases, they pay taxes, and there’s a large group of people who think they should be allowed to stay.”
“When you walk into a hotel and you have a woman working there as a housekeeper, as a maid this way and that, as a waitress, a lot of good things, great jobs, and all of a sudden they’re kicked out of the country, it’s tough. It’s a tough thing,” he said, adding that the people he calls “far right” want to be kicked out whether the illegal alien is working or not.
A man was killed Wednesday after fleeing through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas. (Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images)
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Although Trump did not talk about “amnesty,” as the White House noted, he signaled in the interview his willingness to “make a deal” for people who have been in the United States illegally for “10 or 15 years” and who have not committed other crimes.
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., a longtime supporter of granting legal status to illegal aliens, celebrated Trump’s comments on X.
“Well done, Mr. President! What you described on 60 Minutes corresponds to the very essence of the dignity law,” she said in her message.
Salazar’s Dignity Act would provide legal status to people who have been in the United States continuously since 2020, provided they have not committed other crimes and pay restitution fees and back taxes.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., arrives at the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The White House declined to elaborate on what such a deal might entail when asked Monday.
Notably, the interview was recorded before Stephen Miller, a notorious immigration hawk, was chosen to become Trump’s new chief of staff.
Immigration restrictions have been Trump’s calling card since he first ran for president in 2015. His comments in the interview aired Sunday drew a sharp reaction from supporters of immigration restrictions.
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“To be clear, if President Trump made an amnesty deal with the Democrat-controlled Congress, it would be a greater betrayal than starting a senseless war in Iran,” commentator Steve Cortes said on X, adding a clip of Trump promising “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” at a 2024 campaign rally.
The new head of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, has warned that Democrats could investigate President Donald Trump’s pardons as well as the president’s allies. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“This plan absolutely guarantees that Texas will never vote Republican again,” said radio host Anthony Cumia. “More states will turn permanently blue if illegal immigrants are given amnesty. Regan did the same and California became a Democratic state forever. Trump can do the same thing to Texas. Disgusting.”
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“Someone needs to tell Trump: Any amnesty deal with the Democrats will destroy the Republican Party,” said X personality Kelly McCarty. “We voted for NO amnesty and mass deportations of ALL illegal immigrants. No compromise. No exceptions.”
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