Trump says immigration helped and hurt GOP in midterms

President Donald Trump told CBS News his deportation crackdown was "too tough" and had helped and hurt Republicans in the midterms, even as the White House said Sunday enforcement would continue.

Ross Douthat, a correspondent for "60 Minutes," interviewed Trump three days after Republicans lost in the Nov. 3 midterms, asking if immigration policy had cost the party the elections. The interview aired Sunday.

"I think it both helped and hurt," Trump said. He added, "But I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally."

Trump had taken a different view a year earlier, when he told "60 Minutes" that his administration's immigration raids "haven't gone far enough." BBC News called Sunday's comments one of his clearest public retreats from a defining part of his political agenda and an abrupt change in tone from the White House statement earlier that day.

Trump said a large part of the country believes undocumented immigrants should be able to remain "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."

"A lot of people would say that it's great, but a lot of people think it's too tough," Trump said.

He gave his border record a favorable grade. "I think I got an A plus for closing up the border," Trump said, adding that he got "very high marks for getting the bad ones out."

White House says arrests will continue

Earlier Sunday, the White House said in a statement to BBC News, "This administration will not slow down its efforts to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens who terrorise our communities." White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said, "There has never been a President stronger on immigration enforcement than President Trump."

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, "ICE is NOT backing away or slowing down."

Multiple U.S. officials told CBS News the administration blamed the election losses on the economy, affordability and the war with Iran, rather than immigration enforcement, the BBC reported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources told CBS that officials have been directed in recent weeks to pursue about 2,700 arrests a day, compared with an earlier target of 2,000.

Whether Trump's remarks will lead to changes in enforcement or arrest targets was unclear.

Miller's new role draws Republican criticism

Trump replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Friday with Stephen Miller, a longtime adviser. The BBC said Miller is widely viewed as the architect of the administration's hardline immigration policy across both Trump presidencies, and that the White House appeared to take a harder stance after his promotion.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Friday that Trump "needs to rethink" the appointment. "It is a colossal mistake, and the last thing we need 72 hours after the a– whooping we got on Tuesday," Tillis told CNN.

After the election, Vice President JD Vance wrote online that he was open to changing enforcement, "by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labour, for instance."

Latino voters shift

Democrats gained large congressional majorities with help from a shift among Latino voters in historically conservative states such as Texas. Republicans lost support in South Texas and other heavily Latino areas that had moved toward the GOP two years earlier.

A July survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found 39% approval for the administration's handling of immigration, down 10 points from the beginning of Trump's second term.

Polling reported by CBS News found that 58% thought the administration had gone too far on immigration.

Voters in that same polling trusted Republicans slightly more than Democrats on immigration, by 43% to 41%.

Trump said he would "love to do something on immigration" with congressional Democrats, though he gave no details. Democrats will take control of the House and Senate when the new Congress begins next year.