President Donald Trump said Sunday night that his deportation agenda may have been "too tough," and he opened the door to an arrangement that would let some undocumented immigrants remain in the United States — a remark that lands just two days after he tapped Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration crackdown, as White House chief of staff.
The comments came in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes. The program's account on X posted that the president "says his administration's deportation policy was 'too tough,'" linking to the segment.
Trump told the network that he believed an agreement with Democrats was achievable — one that would allow some long-term undocumented residents to stay while the administration continues removing people convicted of serious crimes. He proposed targeting killers, rapists and drug dealers, and floated an accommodation for people who had been in the country for 10 or 15 years, according to The Guardian's account of the interview.
"They should be allowed to stay if they're good people working in a landscaping company," Trump said, adding that in some cases they are paying taxes. The Guardian reported the president also acknowledged there are competing views in the country on whether undocumented immigrants should be deported or allowed to remain if they are working and paying taxes.
The president conceded that the aggressive enforcement push had hurt him politically. POLITICO reported that Trump offered little detail about what a deal might look like but suggested a legal pathway for some immigrants as a point of discussion.
The reversal in tone is hard to square with the record. Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, ICE raids at workplaces, homes and public spaces have swept up people with no criminal records, separated families and spread fear in immigrant communities, The Guardian reported. Federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during operations in Minneapolis this year, according to the same outlet.
POLITICO characterized the president's comments as repeating interest in a deal with Democrats, and ABC News reported that Trump said his administration was too aggressive on deportations. The Guardian described the remarks as an unusually frank acknowledgment that one of the defining policies of his second administration had become a political liability — and noted they were seemingly at odds with Friday's decision to elevate Miller.
Trump also addressed the midterm elections in the interview. He blamed the war with Iran and higher gas prices for much of the Republicans' losses, agreeing with Vice President JD Vance's assessment that the conflict had been a significant factor, the Guardian reported. He cited what he described as growing dislike of Israel, but maintained the military campaign had been justified and said he would make the same decision again.
"My answer is an emphatic yes because you can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," he said. In a separate CNN interview, the president said a renewed assault on Iran was "highly unlikely" but warned of consequences if certain conditions were not met.
It is not yet known what specific legislative framework, if any, the White House would pursue, or whether Democratic leaders would engage. It is also unknown how Miller's promotion — announced Friday — fits with the president's new rhetoric, and what it would mean for ongoing enforcement operations.
Our Take
Let's be clear about what happened here. A president who won a decisive mandate in 2024 on the promise of mass deportation, who stood at the podium and said we would take our country back, told 60 Minutes that his own policy — the one his voters demanded — was "too tough."
Too tough for whom? Not for the Americans in Minnesota who watched federal agents shoot two citizens. Not for the families separated at job sites. Too tough, apparently, for the political consultants who looked at a midterm drubbing and decided the base's signature issue was the problem.
The timing is what should concern patriots most. On Friday, Stephen Miller — the man who built the deportation machinery — was promoted to White House chief of staff. Two days later, the president is talking about amnesty for people who have been here 10 or 15 years. Which is it? Is Miller being elevated to finish the job, or to manage its wind-down? The American people deserve a straight answer.
There is a legitimate conversation to be had about targeting violent criminals first. There is a legitimate conversation about legal immigration and work visas. But "amnesty" is not a word that should be coming out of a Republican president's mouth after the last four years of border chaos. The voters who showed up for Trump in 2024 did not do so to hear that the deportation policy was too mean.
If the president wants a deal, he should explain to the American people precisely what he is trading and what he is getting in return. Otherwise, the question every patriot should be asking is simple: did we win the border fight, or are we watching it be negotiated away?
