Politics · United States · 2 hrs ago
Democrats seek limits on Trump’s immigration crackdown
Democratic lawmakers called for changes to immigration enforcement at a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington.
The push follows voter backlash to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, which Democrats say has involved harsh tactics and poor detention conditions.
They want a bipartisan deal that could expand legal pathways and help long-term, law-abiding undocumented immigrants, and pointed to existing bills as a possible starting point.
Democrats are set to control both chambers of Congress next year, after gains in the midterm elections.
But they may have limited success passing laws because Trump is expected to veto measures that curb enforcement or expand legal status.
They plan to use congressional oversight to investigate detention conditions, fatal use of force by federal agents and other Department of Homeland Security actions.
Stephen Miller, who helped shape Trump’s immigration policies, is expected to continue driving the administration’s approach as its new chief of staff.
Democrats who will control both chambers of Congress next year say they will seek to curb President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and expand legal pathways for long-term undocumented immigrants.
The effort follows midterm victories that Democrats and news reports link in part to voter dissatisfaction with aggressive arrests and deportations.
Democratic lawmakers say they want bipartisan reform, but expect limits including Trump’s veto power and the need for Republican support in the Senate.
They also plan investigations into immigration enforcement, detention conditions and the Department of Homeland Security’s spending.
The Trump administration has defended its policies, while a White House spokesperson accused Democrats of misreading voters’ views on immigration.
- Who
- Congressional Democrats, including sitting and newly elected lawmakers, are pushing for changes to immigration enforcement and the immigration system.
- What
- They want to rein in enforcement tactics and expand pathways to legal status, while pursuing bipartisan reform and oversight.
- When
- The push was made at a news conference on November 11, 2026, ahead of Democrats taking control of Congress in January.
- Where
- Outside the US Capitol in Washington.
- Why
- Democrats say voter dissatisfaction with the crackdown helped their midterm success and that the immigration system needs reform.
Democratic lawmakers
Trump administration and its supporters
Immigration enforcement
Democratic lawmakers
Democrats say they want to rein in enforcement tactics and improve the immigration system.
Trump administration and its supporters
The administration has pursued an aggressive deportation campaign; the Department of Homeland Security called claims it was weaponized against Americans absurd and false.
Legal pathways
Democratic lawmakers
Democrats want to expand legal pathways for long-term undocumented immigrants and seek bipartisan reform.
Trump administration and its supporters
The White House spokesperson said Democrats would be misreading voters if they pursued what the spokesperson called an extremist, anti-American immigration agenda.
Oversight
Democratic lawmakers
Democrats plan investigations into enforcement, detention conditions and DHS spending.
Trump administration and its supporters
The administration is expected to resist legislation that would curb enforcement, and Trump has signaled he may veto Democratic-supported bills.
Trump began his second term and launched an aggressive mass deportation campaign, according to the Guardian.
US midterm elections were held; Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, according to the articles.
Sitting and newly elected Democrats gathered outside the US Capitol to call for immigration reform and changes to enforcement.
Democrats are due to take control of both chambers of Congress.
- Congress
- Democrats won control of both chambers in the midterms.
- Immigration enforcement
- ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
- Polling
- Trump’s approval on immigration fell to 38% from 50% at the start of his presidency, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling cited by the Straits Times.
- DHS funding
- Congress allocated more than $100 billion to DHS since last year, according to the Straits Times.
- Texas’s 9th district
- Lorenzo Salgado was killed in July by gunfire from an ICE agent, according to El País English.
3 sources
What people are saying
Republicans have been saying we will have immigration reform as soon as we have a safe, secure border. We have that right now. We did the job. Now let’s figure out how to right-size our immigration issue. Let’s figure out how to keep families together.
And as we have – as we continue to have – Donald Trump in the White House, and without a supermajority in the Senate, we need Republican support. So any comprehensive immigration reform must be bipartisan.
The Democrats are colossally misreading the electorate if they think the American people want an extremist, anti-American immigration agenda.
We will investigate the administration weaponizing DHS against Americans (and) its out of control immigration policies