President Donald Trumps first long television interview since the midterms reignited a fight over whether he is edging toward amnesty or merely floating narrow legal-status carve-outs for long-settled illegal immigrants.
Speaking with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat, Trump said he is open to granting legal status to some illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for many years and are working good jobs. He also suggested his earlier mass-deportation push may have swept too broadly, a comment that immediately rattled immigration hawks even as his team insisted enforcement remains the core of the agenda.
The White House moved fast to kill the amnesty label. The President never said the word amnesty. There has never been a President stronger on immigration enforcement than President Trump, an official said, citing more than 3 million illegal aliens leaving the country and the most secure border in American history.
Rapid Response accounts echoed that the word amnesty never appeared in the exchange, but Republican strategist Ryan Girdusky was unmoved: This is like when a kid puts his finger an inch to your face and says Im not touching you. Hes describing amnesty. Florida Rep. Maria Salazar cheered the remarks as matching her Dignity Act, while Vice President JD Vance warned that anyone selling amnesty after the midterms is lying to you.
Login