USA: Donald Trump admits errors in deportation policy – “was too hard”

When journalist Ross Douthat asked whether the deportation course had harmed him politically, Trump said: "Both and." He was able to score points with the closed border with Mexico. "But it also hurt me because we also deported people who had good jobs and had only committed one violation of the law: they came into the country illegally."

Many in the United States believed that people who were in the country illegally should not be deported, for example if they "work in a garden center or in a hotel," said Trump. He believes that an agreement could be worked out with the Democrats for such situations. Democrats will control both chambers of Congress starting in January.

In his second term, Trump initially relied heavily on raids by officials from the sometimes martial immigration agency ICE, combined with mass deportations. The tough stance against immigrants without valid residence permits led to protests in several major cities.

Two US citizens were also killed in connection with ICE activities. The government then scaled back operations somewhat.

Many migrants who are in the U.S. illegally are employed in agriculture and hospitality. The deportations recently reduced support for Republicans from these sectors.

Deportation hardliner Miller is new chief of staff

However, it seems questionable whether Trump will actually use the poor election results as an opportunity to fundamentally change his migration policy. Shortly after the election, the president appointed the right-wing hardliner Stephen Miller, who is considered the central architect of the deportation policy, as his new chief of staff.

And it remains to be seen whether Trump will maintain his comparatively moderate rhetoric in the interview. When asked whether it would be possible to avoid offending the Democrats for six months, Trump said: "Easily." During the congressional election campaign, he had described them, among other things, as "Dummocrats," based on the word "Dumb."