‘I’d love to have a comprehensive immigration policy’: Trump opens the door to a possible path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants

President Donald Trump suggested Monday during an interview with The New York Times that he might be open to a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Asked if he would support a plan that includes legal status for them, Trump replied, "possibly," adding that so-called Dreamers should feel "safe" in the United States and that he would "love to be able to do something for them." Similarly, the Republican leader said, "I’d love to have a comprehensive immigration policy. Something that really worked. It’s about time for the country." Despite this, Trump avoided detailing any concrete proposal and acknowledged the political sensitivity of the issue by explaining that "I don’t want to go into that because it’s a very ticklish subject."

When asked if his policies sought to alter the racial makeup of the country, Trump rejected that idea and stated, "I just want people who love our country. It's very simple." Likewise, Trump also indicated that his administration will revisit the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in about a year. "They should feel safe," said Trump, who also acknowledged having instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce enforcement actions in certain sectors that rely on immigrant labor. He mentioned agriculture, hospitality and services, underscoring the historic role immigrant workers have been playing in those industries. "They have great people working for them who have been working for them for 25 years. They’re almost like a member of the family," Trump said.

At another point in the Times interview, Trump returned to a much tougher stance by revealing that his administration is currently reviewing criteria for withdrawing citizenship from some naturalized Americans. Likewise, he assured that the positions expressed do not represent any disagreement with Stephen Miller, who is the main architect of his immigration agenda. "Stephen’s a very strong voice. I don’t think I disagree with him, no," Trump said.

Asked about the shooting death of a 37-year-old woman by an ICE agent in Minnesota, Trump blamed her and avoided asserting that the agent had acted improperly. However, he maintained that ICE's authority is not unlimited.

The Republican leader added that immigration enforcement should not be based solely on race or ethnicity.