Trump Acknowledges Strict Deportation Policies Damaged His Political Standing
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has admitted that his aggressive immigration enforcement measures during his first administration may have been excessively harsh, acknowledging that the approach had political consequences and contributed to difficulties for Republicans in the midterm elections.
In an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Trump reflected on his previous deportation policies, conceding that the measures went too far and ultimately affected his political position.
"It was too tough. I think it might be too tough, yeah,” he said.
“Ultimately, that hurt me.”
The interview was recorded Friday, shortly before Stephen Miller, a longtime presidential adviser associated with strict immigration policies, was announced as the replacement for Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
Trump also recognized growing public concerns about deporting immigrants who may have entered the United States illegally but have spent many years working, establishing careers and building their lives in the country.
He indicated that his administration could potentially find common ground with Democrats on immigration reforms, particularly concerning long-term residents employed in industries such as hospitality and food services.
Highlighting the human consequences of removing established workers, Trump described the difficulty of seeing people who have spent years contributing to businesses and communities being forced to leave the country.
"When you go into a hotel and you have a woman that’s worked there as a, you know, as a maid, as a cleaner, as a this, as a that, as a waitress, a lot of good things, great jobs, and all of a sudden they’re being taken out of the country, it’s tough. It’s a tough thing,” he said.
“But there’s a group of people that I would say on the sort of pretty far right that would like everybody taken out.”
When questioned about whether his administration included officials supporting such an uncompromising position, Trump acknowledged that “there are a lot of those people.”
Nevertheless, he suggested that a more selective immigration enforcement strategy could be considered, focusing primarily on individuals convicted of crimes, violent offenders and drug traffickers.
Under the approach he described, authorities could distinguish between criminal offenders and immigrants who have spent a decade or more working and living in the United States, potentially allowing greater flexibility in dealing with those who have established long-term ties to the country.
In an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Trump reflected on his previous deportation policies, conceding that the measures went too far and ultimately affected his political position.
"It was too tough. I think it might be too tough, yeah,” he said.
“Ultimately, that hurt me.”
The interview was recorded Friday, shortly before Stephen Miller, a longtime presidential adviser associated with strict immigration policies, was announced as the replacement for Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
Trump also recognized growing public concerns about deporting immigrants who may have entered the United States illegally but have spent many years working, establishing careers and building their lives in the country.
He indicated that his administration could potentially find common ground with Democrats on immigration reforms, particularly concerning long-term residents employed in industries such as hospitality and food services.
Highlighting the human consequences of removing established workers, Trump described the difficulty of seeing people who have spent years contributing to businesses and communities being forced to leave the country.
"When you go into a hotel and you have a woman that’s worked there as a, you know, as a maid, as a cleaner, as a this, as a that, as a waitress, a lot of good things, great jobs, and all of a sudden they’re being taken out of the country, it’s tough. It’s a tough thing,” he said.
“But there’s a group of people that I would say on the sort of pretty far right that would like everybody taken out.”
When questioned about whether his administration included officials supporting such an uncompromising position, Trump acknowledged that “there are a lot of those people.”
Nevertheless, he suggested that a more selective immigration enforcement strategy could be considered, focusing primarily on individuals convicted of crimes, violent offenders and drug traffickers.
Under the approach he described, authorities could distinguish between criminal offenders and immigrants who have spent a decade or more working and living in the United States, potentially allowing greater flexibility in dealing with those who have established long-term ties to the country.
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