Donald Trump has admitted that his immigration enforcement and deportation policy may have been “too tough”, while signalling that he wants to seek a deal with Democrats on the issue.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, which aired on Sunday, the US president said he would “love to do something on immigration” with Democrats following their strong results in Tuesday’s elections.
Mr Trump described the policy as a double-edged sword for Republicans. He said voters had broadly supported efforts to secure the southern border, but were more divided over the mass removal of immigrants.
“I think it both helped and hurt. I think I got an A+ for closing up the border,” he said.
However, when interviewer Ross Douthat asked whether the administration’s enforcement had gone too far, Mr Trump replied: “I think it was … too tough,” before adding: “I think it might be too tough, yeah.”
He acknowledged that some of those targeted had otherwise law-abiding lives, worked in hotels, landscaping and other industries, and paid taxes.
“I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs,” Mr Trump said. “I think ultimately … that hurt me.”
He said Americans found it difficult to watch long-serving workers being removed from the country. “When you go into a hotel, and you have a woman that’s worked there as… a maid, as a cleaner… as a waitress… and all of a sudden, they’re being taken outta the country, it’s tough,” he said.
Mr Trump also accepted that some hardliners in his administration had supported removing virtually every immigrant who entered the country illegally, regardless of their circumstances. Asked whether such figures worked in the White House, he replied: “Yes.”
He said a possible agreement with Democrats could include some form of legal status for undocumented immigrants who had spent years working in the United States. “I think that’s something that’s actually doable,” he said.
The comments represent a shift in tone from a president who made mass deportations a central part of his immigration agenda. But they came as Mr Trump selected longtime aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, as his new White House chief of staff.
The appointment has drawn criticism from Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he did not expect to work with Mr Miller, contrasting him with former chief of staff Susie Wiles, with whom he said there had at times been common ground.
“There’s not going to be any opportunity, certainly, to work with Stephen Miller and what he represents,” Mr Jeffries said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called Mr Miller a “vile thug” and said his appointment insulted voters who had backed Democrats. Liberal commentator Krystal Ball said the choice suggested Mr Trump had “zero interest in moderating or working with Democrats to deliver for the people”.
