Trump says his deportation drive was 'too tough' and hurt him in the midterms; open to an immigration deal with Democrats

WASHINGTON: After a midterm setback, US President Donald Trump has softened his tone on immigration. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes aired on Sunday night, he said of his deportation policy: "I think it was too tough. I think ultimately, that hurt me."

What Trump said

• "I think I got an A+ for closing up the border," he said, adding that he gets "very high marks for getting the bad ones out".
• He said he was hurt "because we also took people that had good jobs".
• "I'd love to do something on immigration," he said of working with Democrats.
• "Let the people that are here and in some cases here for 10 and 15 years, work a deal for them," he said, adding that "people have already called me", without naming anyone.

What it means for Telugu families

Trump did not mention H-1B, OPT or student visas in the interview, and announced no change on legal immigration. Three proposals that affect Indian workers and students close for public comment this week: the $70,000 OPT fee (November 9–10), the end of the 60-day grace period for laid-off H-1B workers (November 10) and the removal of deference to prior approvals (November 13).

The White House has not said whether Trump's remarks will change any of these proposals.