President Donald Trump has spent years selling his immigration crackdown as a political winner. On Sunday, he conceded it might have been a political loser too.
In an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes, Trump acknowledged that his administration's aggressive deportation campaign may have hurt Republicans politically, saying that targeting undocumented immigrants with established jobs and lives in the U.S. may have been 'too tough' after the party suffered major losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump Admits Deportation Policy Went Too Far
Trump said his immigration crackdown had 'both helped and hurt' Republicans at the polls, defending his border security record while acknowledging concerns about deporting long-term undocumented immigrants.
He believed he received an 'A+ for closing up the border' and 'very high marks for getting the bad ones out.'
But he acknowledged that targeting undocumented immigrants who had established jobs and lives in the U.S. had created political challenges.
'But I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law that was that they came into the country illegally,' Trump said.
He pointed to differing public opinions over whether undocumented immigrants who work in landscaping companies, hotels and other businesses, and in some cases pay taxes, should be allowed to remain in the country.
'I think it might be too tough,' Trump admitted.
'A lot of people would say that it's great, but a lot of people think it's too tough,' he added.
Trump also said he would 'love to do something on immigration' with congressional Democrats.
Trump Signals Cabinet Shakeup After Midterm Losses
On Friday, Trump said he expected 'maybe a few changes' to his Cabinet after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
He also considered UFC CEO Dana White for White House press secretary, then clarified Sunday that he was 'only kidding.'
Meanwhile, Susie Wiles departed as chief of staff, with Stephen Miller officially taking over the position on Monday.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon also departed the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
Immigration and Census Changes
Last month, JD Vance cited Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)'s past opposition to open borders while defending immigration enforcement targeting companies accused of replacing American workers with cheaper foreign labor.
Separately, the Trump administration proposed excluding undocumented and some legal immigrants from 2030 Census population counts.
