In an interview Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, President-elect Donald Trump said he is willing to work with Democrats to address the future of Dreamers ā undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. His comments stand in contrast to his hardline approach to broader immigration enforcement and border security.
āWe have to do something about the Dreamers,ā Trump said during the interview, acknowledging that many DACA recipients have lived in the U.S. for decades, have established careers, and no longer identify with their countries of origin, adding: āI will work with the Democrats on a plan.ā
āThey were brought into this country many years ago,ā he continued. āSome 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 weāre going to have to do something with them.ā
Trumpās remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of his proposed immigration policies, which include ending birthright citizenship and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, even those with U.S.-born children.
Mass Deportation Plans and Birthright Citizenship
Trump reiterated his commitment to a sweeping deportation effort, starting with undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes but extending beyond them. āWe have to get the criminals out of our country,ā he said, clarifying that subsequent phases would target others in the U.S. without legal status. When pressed for specifics, Trump described it as a necessary step to uphold immigration laws.
On birthright citizenship, Trump proposed eliminating the practice via executive action, arguing it incentivizes illegal immigration. Critics, however, point out that such a move would likely face immediate legal challenges and contradict the 14th Amendment, which has long guaranteed citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.
Family Deportations and Zero-Tolerance Policies
The president-elect faced questions about families with mixed immigration statuses ā where some members are U.S. citizens while others are not. Trump said he would prefer to deport families together, suggesting that U.S. citizen relatives may opt to leave with undocumented family members. “The only way you donāt break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back,” he said.
When asked about reinstating the controversial zero-tolerance policy that led to family separations during his first term, Trump remained noncommittal, stating it would ādepend on the family.ā
For more, Boundless has put together a detailed guide on what to expect during Trump’s second term.