{
  "id": 19099688,
  "title": "Trump says immigration crackdown was ‘too tough’ and played part in midterms defeat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/trump-says-immigration-crackdown-was-too-tough-and-played-part-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T05:06:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KBC",
    "slug": "kbc",
    "url": "https://www.kbc.co.ke/trump-says-immigration-crackdown-was-too-tough-and-played-part-in-midterms-defeat/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former US President Donald Trump has admitted that his immigration crackdown policies were \"too tough,\" marking a significant shift from a key element of his political platform, following his party's substantial losses in the recent midterm elections. In an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes program, Trump expressed his belief that he deserved an \"A plus\" grade for his efforts to reduce illegal border crossings, but lamented how these aggressive deportations had politically harmed him. His comments came despite his Homeland Security Department denying any retreat from the crackdown.\n\nPolls conducted ahead of the elections revealed that immigration was the third most pressing issue for midterm voters, trailing behind the economy and the state of democracy. In traditionally conservative states like Texas, a significant shift in voter preferences towards the Democratic Party, particularly among Latino voters, played a crucial role in the Democrats' sweeping victory in Congress. During the interview, which aired on Sunday evening, Trump stated that immigration had a dual impact on his fellow Republicans: it both benefited and harmed their electoral prospects.\n\nTrump attributed part of his party's electoral defeat to the intensity of his immigration enforcement measures. \"I think I got an A plus for closing up the border,\" he said, acknowledging his success in limiting illegal crossings. However, he added that his strategy for removing illegal immigrants from the country was less effective. \"For getting people out, I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out,\" he stated. He did not elaborate on which immigrants he considered \"bad.\" ICE sources confirmed to CBS that his administration had recently raised the daily arrest target for illegal immigrants to around 2,700, up from a previous 2,000 daily target.",
  "summary": "US President Donald Trump has said his immigration crackdown was “too tough”, marking one of his clearest public retreats from a defining plank of his political agenda, following his party’s drubbing in the midterm elections. In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes programme, Trump said he believed he deserved an “A plus” for drastically limiting […] The post Trump says immigration crackdown was…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nation Africa",
        "title": "Trump’s US midterm rout underlines surging demand for sweeping change",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/trumps-us-midterm-rout-underlines-surging-demand-for-sweeping-change",
        "published": "2026-11-09T03:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "‘Too tough’: US President Donald Trump blames his deportation policy after Republican loss in midterm elections",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/too-tough-us-president-donald-trump-blames-his-deportation-policy",
        "published": "2026-11-09T04:34:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}