Key facts
- Trump told CBS's 60 Minutes his deportation policy "might be too tough" and that he could work with Democrats on an immigration deal.
- Trump gave no specifics on what an immigration agreement with the new Democratic majority would contain.
- Trump named Stephen Miller, described as the architect of his immigration crackdown, as chief of staff on November 6.
- Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that the staffing move was "not a course correction" but "a promotion."
- Trump said "killers" and "drug dealers" in the country illegally should be deported but suggested others working and paying taxes could stay.
President Donald Trump said in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes that aired on November 8, 2026, that his administration's deportation policy "might be too tough" and that he thinks he can reach an immigration agreement with Democrats in the new Congress. Asked whether the crackdown had gone too far, Trump said: "I think it might be too tough, yeah." He added: "The deal would be we would work something out. And I think it's something -- I think that's something that's actually doable."
Trump did not give specifics about what a deal would look like. Shortly after taping the interview on Friday, November 6, he named Stephen Miller, described in the report as the key architect of his hard-line immigration agenda, as his new chief of staff.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the remarks on social media after the interview aired. "Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far," Schumer wrote. "Apparently, his solution was to put the man responsible for it in charge of the White House. That's not a course correction. That's a promotion."
The report said the immigration crackdown was a prominent feature of Trump's return to office, with operations in multiple cities sending arrests higher, and that two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal officers during protests against the operations. Democrats have said oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security is a priority for the new Congress.
Trump said he believes "killers" and "drug dealers" in the country illegally should be deported, but suggested he was open to a deal that would let others stay "if they're good people working in a landscaping company, or working in a hotel, or doing something, right? And in some cases, paying taxes."