President-elect Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d also said he is open to working with Democrats on a legislative way to keep Dreamers in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Kristen Welker that \u201cyou have no choice\u201d but to deport everyone who is illegally in the U.S., including possibly removing the American citizen family members of those deported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump also said he will move to end birthright citizenship \u2014 long enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution \u2014 which would strip rights from those born in the country to undocumented parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, he said, he is open to working with Democrats to pass legislation that would ensure Dreamers \u2014 undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children \u2014 would be able to remain in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s comments about his mass deportation plan, a key promise of his presidential campaign, were the most expansive since he won the election in November. The program, he said, will begin with undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes and then advance to \u201cpeople outside of criminals.\u201d He did not detail which crimes would be included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think you have to do it,\u201d Trump said of his deportation effort. \u201cIt\u2019s a very tough thing to do. It\u2019s \u2014 but you have to have, you know, you have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally. You know, the people that have been treated very unfairly are the people that have been on line for 10 years to come into the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have to get the criminals out of our country,\u201d Trump said, later adding: \u201cBut we\u2019re starting with the criminals, and we got to do it. And then we\u2019re starting with others, and we\u2019re going to see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked by Welker, \u201cWho are the others?\u201d Trump responded, \u201cOthers are other people outside of criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a large increase in the number of unauthorized immigrants crossing into the U.S. during President Joe Biden\u2019s time in office, though that number has fallen<\/a> following executive actions in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tightening restrictions around the U.S. border with Mexico was at the forefront of Trump\u2019s candidacy \u2014 much as it was during his first run in 2016. Trump and allies routinely highlighted acts of violence committed by undocumented immigrants to bolster their case. (A 2024 study from the National Institute of Justice<\/a> found that Texas arrest records between 2012 and 2018 showed undocumented immigrants were arrested at less than half the rate of native-born Americans for violent crimes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump also described scenarios in which U.S. citizens may choose to be deported along with family members in the country illegally. His comments echoed Tom Homan, his pick to serve as border czar in the upcoming administration, in saying that he will be deporting families with mixed immigration status together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet me ask you about another group of people, the estimated 4 million families in America who have mixed immigration status. So I\u2019m talking about parents who might be here illegally,\u201d Welker said, \u201cbut the kids are here legally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to be breaking up families,\u201d Trump said. \u201cSo the only way you don\u2019t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welker also asked about the zero-tolerance policy during Trump\u2019s first term, where families would be separated at the border as a means of deterrence for those who chose to enter the U.S. illegally. Trump eventually ended the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have to separate families,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe\u2019ll send the whole family very humanely, back to the country where they came.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo no more family separations?\u201d Welker asked. \u201cYou\u2019re not reviving the zero-tolerance policy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt depends on the family,\u201d Trump said, adding later: \u201cIf they come here illegally but their family is here legally, then the family has a choice. The person that came in illegally can go out, or they can all go out together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On birthright citizenship, Trump said he would seek to repeal it via executive action \u2014 which would be certain to spark immediate legal challenges<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to end it,\u201d Trump said, calling it \u201cridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump suggested that birthright citizenship is uniquely American, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re the only country that has it, you know.\u201d But according to a review by the Library of Congress<\/a>, more than 30 nations provide birthright citizenship, including Canada and Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The president-elect used a softer tone when discussing Dreamers, those who arrived in the U.S. nearly 20 or more years ago as children and are covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program that has allowed them to remain in the country and work legally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to do something about the Dreamers, because these are people that have been brought here at a very young age, and many of these are middle-aged people now, they don\u2019t even speak the language of their country,\u201d Trump said, adding: \u201cI will work with the Democrats on a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey were brought into this country many years ago,\u201d he continued. \u201cSome of them are no longer young people, and in many cases they’ve become successful. They have great jobs. In some cases, they have small businesses. Some cases they might have large businesses, and we\u2019re going to have to do something with them.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n