The possibility of US President Donald Trump ultimately giving the green light for the creation of a pathway to legalize millions of immigrants residing illegally in the country remains extremely unlikely. However, following the crushing electoral defeat of the Republicans in the 2026 elections, the American president is reviving the relevant discussion, provoking significant reactions within his own political camp, at a particularly unfavorable juncture for the GOP. This is the latest in a series of political moves by Donald Trump that raise questions both before and after last week's midterm elections.
Trump's admission on deportations and the political cost
Internal turmoil began on Sunday night (8/11) when CBS News' "60 Minutes" broadcast an interview with Donald Trump in which the American president acknowledged that his administration's deportation policy was overly harsh and that it cost the Republicans electorally. Nevertheless, Trump went even further, leaving open the possibility of legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants. Describing the logic of his proposal, he characteristically stated: "To remove the murderers, the rapists, all the dangerous people, and the drug dealers. But those who are already here, and in some cases have lived in the country for 10 or 15 years, should be able to negotiate a deal to stay." Donald Trump has occasionally formulated similar positions, from which he subsequently quickly retreats. This time, however, his statements do not appear to merely constitute a spontaneous personal stance. On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin rushed to clarify that there will be no blanket amnesty and that the administration's law enforcement approach will not change. Simultaneously, however, he confirmed that Trump has expressed a desire to cooperate with the Democrats on the immigration issue.
The prospect of a deal with Democrats and the DACA program
"If we want to proceed with an immigration policy reform to examine DACA and find a way by which these individuals could potentially acquire lawful permanent resident status or something similar, that will depend on Congress," Mullin stated. The reference concerns the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was instituted during Barack Obama's presidency and enabled immigrants who entered the US illegally as children to remain in the country under specific conditions. A few hours later, on Monday afternoon, Donald Trump attempted to put an end to rumors of amnesty, declaring in an emergency press conference: "There is no amnesty. There will not be amnesty. Someone asked me if there will be amnesty. No." However, regardless of how much Trump and Mullin insist that the question of amnesty does not arise, this specific stance is not perceived the same way by the president's base of supporters. On the contrary, it is already triggering intense reactions that are expected to continue.
Fierce reactions from the Republican camp
The American president's statements triggered an unusually strong wave of reactions, with prominent Trump allies distancing themselves from the prospect of any legalization of undocumented immigrants. Among them, the Heritage Foundation and the House Freedom Caucus posted the message "No amnesty" on social media without directly referring to the president's statements. For his part, Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has recently begun publicly criticizing several decisions and political strategies of the Trump administration, recalled his previous positions according to which there should be no exceptions to the deportation policy. Even more direct was Missouri Republican Congressman Bob Onder, who responded to the "60 Minutes" interview with the post: "NO amnesty for illegal aliens."
When the official White House rapid response account on X argued that Trump was not referring to amnesty, a journalist from the conservative outlet Federalist called the explanation "offensive." Other close allies of the president expressed the view that this is yet another move coming into direct conflict with the expectations of his electoral base. Former Trump adviser Steve Cortes warned that such an agreement could have catastrophic political consequences. "If President Trump were to proceed with an amnesty deal with the Democratic-controlled Congress, that would constitute a greater betrayal than starting the foolish war in Iran," he stated. Along the same lines, Republican political strategist Ryan Girdusky argued that Trump is "proposing an idea that will destroy the party." "And now amnesty? Seriously?", podcast host Megyn Kelly commented in turn.
Why Trump's proposal provokes a political deadlock
The political dimension of the case reasonably raises questions, as Donald Trump could have chosen a clearly more limited readjustment of his immigration policy. He could, for instance, have hinted that the administration will limit the scope of mass deportations without opening the discussion on creating pathways to legal residency or obtaining legal immigrant status. Such a retreat would likely not have fully satisfied his base of supporters, but it could have been more understandable since it would target the Republicans' actual political problem. Instead, the reference to legalizing millions of immigrants creates a much larger political conflict without it being at all certain that it will lead to any substantive legislative initiative. It is not the first time, after all, that Trump has left open the possibility of a legalization or citizenship acquisition process for specific categories of immigrants. Every time, however, his relevant statements provoke corresponding reactions within the MAGA movement.
The history of Trump's retreats on immigration
Before and after his victory in the 2016 elections, Trump had supported the need to find a solution for the so-called Dreamers, namely immigrants brought to the US at a young age. Back then, he characteristically stated: "We are going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud." In January 2018, he also stated that he would accept a long process leading to citizenship for immigrants meeting DACA criteria, arguing that this "will happen at some point in the future." A similar disposition for cooperation with Democrats on the Dreamers issue had been expressed following his 2024 electoral victory. Furthermore, in June 2025, he had proposed granting "some form of temporary permit" to immigrant workers. This stance came, obviously, after concerns expressed by business circles regarding the impact of mass deportations on covering the needs of the American economy and specific manufacturing sectors.
MAGA risks internal fragmentation
The crucial element is that if Donald Trump genuinely desired to proceed with a deal ensuring the legalization of these individuals, he could potentially have achieved it. As pointed out in the past, the strong influence Trump exerts on his electoral base could enable him to become the first modern US president securing such a political agreement. Nevertheless, the probabilities of something like this occurring remain extremely limited. To advance such an initiative, Trump would inevitably have to clash with large segments of his electoral base which, as already demonstrated, is no longer as satisfied with his political choices. Such a development could prove politically suicidal, as any electoral benefit would come at the price of the MAGA movement's severe fragmentation. In other words, just one week after the Republicans' major electoral losses, the American president is provoking his own political base with a proposal that, in all probability, will never be implemented and which he had no substantive reason to bring back into public discussion.
The unpredictable Trump and the prospect of a new retreat
This specific case, however, fits into the broader picture of a president who now appears to act and take stances based on his own desires without always calculating the political consequences of his choices or the problems he may cause his party. It is not excluded that the legalization of immigrants will evolve into a genuinely significant initiative of Donald Trump's second presidential term. However, it is equally likely, if not more so, that the American president will soon retreat, abandoning this specific idea to avoid a frontal clash with his electoral base. In any case, the new discussion on immigration highlights the internal contradictions of Trump's policy and the difficult balance he is called upon to maintain between the US economic needs, political pressures, and the hardline positions of the MAGA movement.
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