In an interview with Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” President-elect Donald Trump stated his intention to pursue a comprehensive deportation program targeting individuals residing in the United States illegally. He emphasized, “you have no choice” but to remove all undocumented immigrants, including potentially deporting American citizen family members of those individuals. Additionally, Trump plans to end birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Despite these hardline measures, he expressed a willingness to work with Democrats to protect Dreamers—undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children—allowing them to stay in the country.
Trump’s remarks represent his most detailed comments on immigration since his election victory in November. He reiterated his campaign pledge to focus first on deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records before extending efforts to include others. “We have to get the criminals out of our country,” Trump asserted. However, he declined to clarify the specific crimes that would qualify for deportation.
Addressing the deportation program’s scope, Trump acknowledged its difficulty but insisted it is necessary. “It’s a very tough thing to do…but you have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally,” he explained. He contrasted undocumented immigrants with those waiting for legal entry, saying, “The people that have been treated very unfairly are the people that have been on line for 10 years to come into the country.”
When pressed by Welker on who else might face deportation, Trump said, “Others are other people outside of criminals,” suggesting the program could expand beyond those with criminal records.
The discussion comes amid an increase in unauthorized border crossings during President Joe Biden’s tenure, though recent executive actions have reduced the numbers. Trump has long made border security a cornerstone of his political agenda, frequently citing crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to justify stricter policies. However, a 2024 study by the National Institute of Justice found that undocumented immigrants in Texas were arrested for violent crimes at less than half the rate of native-born Americans between 2012 and 2018.
Trump also addressed families with mixed immigration status, where some members are U.S. citizens while others are undocumented. Echoing comments by Tom Homan, his choice for border czar, Trump indicated that such families would be deported together. “I don’t want to be breaking up families,” he said, adding, “The only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.”
Welker questioned Trump about the controversial zero-tolerance policy from his first term, which led to the separation of families at the border. Trump ultimately ended the practice but faced widespread criticism. “We don’t have to separate families,” he said. “We’ll send the whole family very humanely back to the country where they came.”
When asked if family separations would return under his administration, Trump responded, “It depends on the family. If 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.”
Trump also announced plans to end birthright citizenship, describing it as “ridiculous” and vowing to achieve this through executive action. Such a move would almost certainly face legal challenges. Trump argued that birthright citizenship is unique to the U.S., stating, “We’re the only country that has it, you know.” However, a review by the Library of Congress contradicts this claim, noting that over 30 countries, including Canada and Brazil, grant birthright citizenship.
In contrast to his firm stance on deportations and birthright citizenship, Trump adopted a more conciliatory tone when discussing Dreamers—individuals covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Many Dreamers have lived in the U.S. for decades and are now contributing members of society. “We have to do something about the Dreamers,” Trump said. “These are people that have been brought here at a very young age, and many of these are middle-aged people now; they don’t even speak the language of their country.”
Trump emphasized his willingness to collaborate with Democrats to address the status of Dreamers. “I will work with the Democrats on a plan,” he said, acknowledging that many Dreamers have established successful lives in the U.S. “Some 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’re going to have to do something with them.”
Trump’s immigration policies remain a polarizing issue, blending stringent enforcement measures with selective accommodations for certain groups. His plans to end birthright citizenship and expand deportations signal a continuation of the hardline approach that defined his first presidential campaign. At the same time, his openness to bipartisan solutions for Dreamers suggests some room for compromise in an otherwise uncompromising agenda.
