The White House on Monday declined to rule out working with Democrats on a deal for illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than a decade. The possibility surfaced [1] as Republicans prepare to lose control of Congress in January.
President Donald Trump opened the door to such an agreement during his first sit down interview since sweeping Republican midterm losses. His comments quickly triggered a sharp backlash from immigration restriction advocates who viewed the proposal as a potential amnesty plan.
“The President never said the word amnesty,” a White House official insisted to Fox News Digital. The official also said, “We want Democrats to show their cards.”
“There won’t be amnesty.” – President Donald J. Trump
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 9, 2026 [2]
The official defended Trump’s immigration record, saying no president had been stronger on enforcement. The White House credited his efforts with prompting more than 3 million illegal aliens to leave the country and producing what it called the most secure border in American history.
“Like the President has said, he’s willing to work with anyone to improve the lives of Americans and Make America Safe Again,” the official said. Still, the White House did not clarify Monday what any agreement with Democrats might include.
During a “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday, host Ross Douthat asked Trump about working with Democrats on immigration during the lame duck final stretch of his presidency. Trump responded that he would welcome action on the issue.
“I’d love to do something on immigration,” Trump said. “I think [immigration] both helped and hurt. I think I got an A+ for closing up the border. I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out, 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 acknowledged that some Americans want every illegal alien deported. He then pointed to illegal immigrants who work in landscaping companies, hotels and other businesses, sometimes while paying taxes.
“When you go into a hotel, and you have a woman that’s working there as a maid, as a cleaner as a this as a that, as a waitress, a lot of good things, great jobs, and all of a sudden they’re being taken out of the country, it’s tough. It’s a tough thing,” Trump said.
The president added that people he called “far-right” want deportations regardless of whether an illegal immigrant is employed. Although Trump did not use the word amnesty, he signaled a willingness to “work a deal” for people who have lived illegally in the country for “10 and 15 years” without committing other crimes.
Florida Republican Rep. Maria Salazar, a longtime supporter of granting legal status to illegal immigrants, welcomed the remarks. “Well done, Mr. President! What you described on 60 Minutes is what the Dignity Act is all about,” she wrote on X.
Well done, Mr. President!
What you described on 60 Minutes is what the Dignity Act is all about.
A Republican-led immigration bill with BIPARTISAN support.
“Get the killers out.” You said it. ABSOLUTELY!
You said it: Keep “good people working in a landscaping company, or working in a hotel” who have been contributing to America for years.
You said it: Those who have been here for 10 or 15 years: “Work a deal for them.”
That’s the core of the Dignity legislation.
Immigration is not just border security. It’s about the ECONOMY and AFFORDABILITY: housing, groceries, healthcare, manufacturing.
Mr. President, I have said it repeatedly. YOU can bring Republicans and Democrats together to finally fix our broken immigration system.
A 40-year problem.
You can surpass Reagan’s legacy by delivering a historic immigration reform.
This is your moment.
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) November 9, 2026 [3]
Salazar’s Dignity Act would provide legal status to people who have lived continuously in the United States since 2020. Eligibility would require that they have committed no other crimes and that they pay a restitution fee and back taxes.
The interview was recorded before Stephen Miller, described as a notorious immigration hawk, was selected as Trump’s new chief of staff. Immigration restrictionism has been central to Trump’s political identity since he began his first presidential campaign in 2015.
Commentator Steve Cortes issued one of the strongest warnings about a possible agreement. “To be clear, if President Trump struck an amnesty deal with the Democrat-controlled Congress, it would be a bigger betrayal than starting the foolish war in Iran,” Cortes wrote on X.
To be clear, if President Trump struck an amnesty deal with the Democrat-controlled Congress, it would be a bigger betrayal than starting the foolish war in Iran.
“As soon as I take the oath of office, we will begin the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” – President Trump in Michigan, July 2024.
— Steve Cortes (@SteveCortes) November 9, 2026 [4]
Cortes accompanied his criticism with a 2024 campaign clip of Trump promising “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” Radio host Anthony Cumia likewise warned that granting amnesty could permanently damage Republican prospects in Texas and other states.
X personality Kelly McCarty offered an equally blunt message. “We voted for NO amnesty and mass deportations of ALL illegals. No compromises. No exceptions.”
We voted for the mass deportation of ALL illegal immigrants, not selective, soft enforcement.
— Kelly McCarty (@KellyLMcCarty) November 8, 2026 [5]
Trump’s attempt to distinguish working illegal immigrants from violent criminals has now placed the White House under pressure from the very voters who backed his deportation promises. For those supporters, even floating a Democratic deal is enough to set off alarms.