Trump Opens Door to Legal Status Deal for Some Immigrants
Trump said he would like to work with Democrats on immigration and suggested that some people who have lived in the United States illegally for 10 or 15 years, held jobs and committed no other crimes could be allowed to stay. His interview with Ross Douthat was taped Friday and aired Sunday, November 8, after Republicans’ midterm losses. The new Congress is due to take office in January.
Trump said his border enforcement and removal efforts had earned high marks, but also acknowledged that people with jobs had been swept up. He described the issue as difficult, citing workers in hotels and landscaping businesses, among other jobs. He also said some Americans favor deporting all undocumented immigrants.
A White House official said Trump had not used the word “amnesty” and highlighted the administration’s enforcement record, including its claim that more than 3 million undocumented immigrants had left the country. The official said Trump was willing to work with anyone to improve Americans’ lives. The White House did not explain what a potential agreement would entail.
Trump’s comments drew criticism from immigration restrictionists. Vice President JD Vance had warned in a post after the election that Republicans considering amnesty would mislead voters, while saying Trump was open to changes in enforcement, including greater focus on businesses that hire undocumented workers.
Republican Rep. Maria Salazar praised Trump’s remarks, saying they matched her proposed Dignity Act. The bill would provide legal status to people continuously in the country since 2020 if they meet conditions including paying a fee and back taxes and having no other crimes. Stephen Miller, a prominent immigration restrictionist, has been selected to become Trump’s chief of staff.
Trump Signals Possible Relief for Long-Term Immigrant Workers
Trump’s remarks point toward a more flexible approach to people who have spent years in the United States, held jobs and committed no other crimes. In an interview aired Sunday, November 8, he said he would like to work with Democrats and described the removal of workers from hotels and landscaping businesses as difficult.
The president also acknowledged that enforcement had affected people with jobs, even as he praised his border and deportation efforts. His comments offer a contrast between mass removals and the prospect of allowing some long-term residents to stay. The White House has not said what any agreement would cover.
A White House official rejected the label “amnesty,” emphasizing that Trump had not used the word and citing the administration’s claim that more than 3 million undocumented immigrants had left the country. But the debate is about the substance of a possible deal, not just the label attached to it.
Trump’s proposal arrives as the GOP is poised to surrender its congressional majority in January. Rep. Maria Salazar welcomed the remarks and said they fit her Dignity Act proposal, which would offer legal status to qualifying people who have been in the country continuously since 2020, subject to conditions including fees and back taxes.
Vice President JD Vance has warned Republicans against pursuing amnesty. Trump’s comments instead leave room for negotiations over people who have lived and worked in the country for years, while the White House has yet to define the terms.
Trump’s Immigration Deal Talk Alarms Restrictionists
Trump opened the door to a deal that could let some people who entered the country illegally and have lived here for 10 or 15 years stay, if they have committed no other crimes. For voters who backed strict enforcement, that is a sharp shift in emphasis from the mass deportation operation he promised during his 2024 campaign.
The president defended his record on border security and removals, but said workers with jobs had also been taken out of the country. A White House official insists Trump did not say “amnesty” and cited the administration’s claim that more than 3 million undocumented immigrants have left the United States. The administration still has not explained what a deal would contain.
Vice President JD Vance has warned that Republicans pursuing amnesty would mislead voters. Other restrictionists criticized the possibility of an agreement, arguing that legal status would betray the party’s enforcement commitments. Their concern is sharpened by the prospect of negotiations with Democrats when the new Congress begins in January.
Rep. Maria Salazar, who supports legal status legislation, praised Trump’s comments as consistent with her Dignity Act. Her proposal would cover people continuously in the country since 2020 who meet conditions including paying a restitution fee and back taxes and having no other crimes.
Stephen Miller, a prominent immigration restrictionist, is set to become Trump’s chief of staff. The White House has not clarified how the proposed approach would fit with the administration’s enforcement agenda.
Reported by The Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, Fox News, CNN, The Washington Examiner.
