Trump Retreats from Immigration Policies

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - President Donald Trump acknowledged on Sunday that his administration's deportation policies may possess excessive harshness toward long-term residents. During a "60 Minutes" broadcast on November 8, 2026, Trump stated that removing individuals who lived in the United States for over a decade without serious criminal offenses created a negative political perception.

President Trump identified the policy as both a political benefit and detriment, noting that closing the border received high marks while targeting individuals with good jobs appeared too strict. Trump expressed a desire to pursue legislative cooperation on immigration with congressional Democrats following recent midterm election losses.

Since 2025, the Trump administration pursued restrictive immigration policies, including family separations, DACA rescissions, and Temporary Protected Status terminations. The administration signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" in 2025, allocating $170 billion for enforcement through 2029, and the "Secure America Act" in 2026, appropriating an additional $69.5 billion through 2029. The State Department announced a visa processing pause for 75 countries in January 2026, which a federal judge ruled unlawful in August 2026.