House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the United States has a broken immigration system that requires comprehensive reform and bipartisan cooperation. He indicated that lawmakers could begin by advancing the American Dream and Promise Act, which includes protections for certain immigrants brought to the country as children.
Jeffries, however, ruled out providing additional money for the administration’s immigration enforcement operations, arguing that reform must ensure immigration enforcement is fair, just and humane.
His comments followed an interview Trump gave to CBS’s 60 Minutes, which aired November 8. The president said his deportation approach might have been too aggressive for voters and expressed confidence that an agreement with Democrats could be reached.
The remarks came after Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, setting the stage for a shift in legislative priorities when the new Congress takes office in January.
However, the prospect of cooperation remains uncertain. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has supported bipartisan discussions but maintained that the administration would not accept an agreement involving amnesty for people living in the United States without legal status.
Trump has also appointed Stephen Miller, a central architect of his hard-line immigration agenda, as his incoming chief of staff — a move that raises questions about how far the administration is prepared to move toward compromise.
While both sides have expressed some willingness to negotiate, disagreements over deportations, legal protections and immigration enforcement funding remain major obstacles to a bipartisan agreement.
