Trump hinted at immigration compromise, but reverses "no amnesty" in response to conservative backlash

U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of easing immigration policies after losing in the midterm elections, but returned to a hard-line stance after facing backlash from conservatives.

According to the American daily New York Times (NYT) on the 11th (local time), President Trump told reporters at the White House on the 9th, "We have a very strong deportation policy. There is no amnesty. We will stick to it," and "My policy has not changed."

President Trump emphasized that he never instructed his new chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who is also the architect of immigration policy, to make any changes to the policy line.

President Trump's remarks came after the CBS program '60 Minutes', which aired on the 8th, cited immigration policy as a factor in the midterm election's crushing defeat, raising expectations of a possible policy change.

At the time, President Trump said that workers who had been living in the United States for several years should be able to receive some protection from deportation policies, and such remarks drew strong backlash from conservatives.

Representative Keith Self, a Republican, said on social media, "The lesson to be learned from the midterm elections should not be to soften our stance on immigration issues," and added, "Any form of amnesty would be a betrayal of the public's trust."

As criticism grew stronger from the conservative camp that they were pushing for 'amnesty' for immigrants, they immediately changed their stance and declared that there would be no policy change.

The NYT pointed out that President Trump has previously taken a step back from his hard-line stance when pressured from voters, but eventually returned to aggressive policies, and that this is not the first time this has happened.

At the same time, he pointed out that not only the Democratic Party but also some Republicans are raising the need for changes in immigration policy.

Democratic Senator Richard Durbin said he would work with other lawmakers to pass legislation granting legal status to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, and called on President Trump to "keep his promise."

Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who ran an ad criticizing immigration crackdowns during the midterm election campaign, emphasized that the president who signed the landmark immigration bill in 1986 was Ronald Reagan, a Republican, and argued, "We can go beyond Reagan's legacy with historic immigration reform."

Some point out that by reversing his position, President Trump is ruining an important opportunity to reach a political agreement to reform the immigration system.

Immigration expert Andrea Flores said, "Trump has already fundamentally changed the political landscape surrounding the immigration issue, and since he took office, the Democratic Party has been on the defensive on this issue. The misjudgment of pursuing a policy of large-scale deportation has created room to discuss immigration issues beyond just the border issue."

He added that President Trump “could have been a president who legalized the status of millions of undocumented immigrants while keeping our borders secure.”