Trump says deportation policy may have been too tough

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 9 Nov, 01:26 · Archive

President Trump said his hardline deportation policy might have been 'too tough' on immigrants with good jobs.

President Trump said in a 60 Minutes interview that his administration's deportation policy may have been 'too tough', particularly in pursuing immigrants who had been in the country for a decade or more and held down good jobs.

The comments came three days after the midterm elections, in which Republicans faced significant losses in heavily Latino areas. Trump said his immigration crackdown 'both helped and hurt' him at the polls. He gave himself 'an A+' for closing the border and 'very high marks for getting the bad ones out'. However, he acknowledged that his rapid deportations alienated some voters.

'I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally,' Trump said. He noted that opinion on the matter was divided: 'There's a large part of the country that think that they should be put out. And there's a large part of the country that think that they should be allowed to stay if they're good people working in a landscaping company, or working in a hotel.'

Trump said he would 'love to do something on immigration' with the congressional Democrats who will control the House and Senate starting next year, though it remains unclear whether his administration plans to alter its enforcement strategy.

How it is being reported

• Trump admits immigration enforcement may have been too 'tough' in first interview since midtermsPresident Donald Trump conceded his deportation policies may have been too "tough" and suggested that he could make a deal with the incoming Democratic Congress.Fox News · 9 Nov, 02:34
• Trump admits ICE crackdown was 'too tough' and helped hand historic win to Democrats in midterms: 'That hurt me'US President Donald Trump has revealed that he believes immigration enforcement and deportations in his second term went too far.Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 01:38
• Trump backs away from hardline immigration policy after midterms blowout: ‘I think it was too tough’President Trump admitted his hardline immigration policy went too far after the GOP’s sweeping losses in the midterm elections last week. Trump said his administration’s rapid deportations turned off some Americans during a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday, following Republicans losing the Hispanic vote last Tuesday. “I think it was too tough,” the president said of...New York Post · 9 Nov, 01:14
• Trump: Deportation policy might have been "too tough"In an interview with 60 Minutes, President Trump said his administration's deportation policy might have been "too tough" in pursuing immigrants with "good jobs."CBS News · 9 Nov, 00:00

In this story: Trump · Republican Party · South Texas · Mexico

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