Trump signals immigration policy shift after Republican midterm losses

President Donald Trump signaled a major reversal on his hard-line immigration policy, admitting his deportation approach was "too tough" and expressing willingness to work with Democrats on reform after Republicans suffered a crushing midterm defeat. Trump told 60 Minutes that aggressive ICE enforcement hurt his party, citing an estimated 980,000 deportations and up to 1.5 million self-deportations since January 2025. He suggested creating legal status for long-term undocumented residents could be "doable" through negotiations with Democrats. The policy shift follows significant Hispanic voter defections in battleground states like Texas and Florida, contributing to Democratic victories unseen since the 1970s. However, Trump's appointment of hard-line architect Stephen Miller as chief of staff raises questions about whether he will follow through.