Trump Says Deportations Spare Waitresses, Farm Workers

The president said his immigration push targets murderers and drug dealers more than service and farm laborers, and floated a deal for long-term residents.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Immigration

Trump Says Deportations Spare Waitresses, Farm Workers

Live Poll

Should long-term, tax-paying immigrants without legal status be allowed to stay in the U.S.?

In a phone call with C-SPAN on Monday night, President Trump said his administration's deportation push has not put the same pressure on waitresses and farm workers as on murderers and drug dealers. He also floated working with Democrats on a deal for immigrants who have lived illegally in the U.S. for more than a decade.

Why it matters

The remarks come a week after Republicans lost majorities in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, and they signal a possible shift in how the administration frames enforcement priorities. Trump also said his policy 'hasn't changed' and that 'there won't be amnesty,' leaving the scope of any deal unclear.

Trump's remarks were statements from a single phone call and briefing rather than released policy data, and no official tally of deportations affecting service or farm workers was cited. Eligibility for the proposed deal was described only as residence of more than a decade, with no timeline or legislative text provided.

The players

Donald Trump

The 47th president of the United States, who has made large-scale immigration enforcement a central policy of his administration.

C-SPAN

The U.S. cable network that broadcasts congressional proceedings and carries live call-in programming featuring public questions to officials.

The details

Trump answered a C-SPAN caller asking whether law-abiding taxpayers should be deported alongside serious offenders. In a '60 Minutes' interview broadcast Sunday, he said he would 'love to do something on immigration' with Democrats, and in a White House briefing Monday he said the policy had not changed.

Last week: Midterm elections cost Republicans majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Sunday: A '60 Minutes' interview with Trump aired.
Monday: Trump spoke at a White House press briefing and in a C-SPAN phone call.

Political Context

Trump's 'there won't be amnesty' statement draws a line against the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which legalized millions of long-term residents and is often cited by critics as a precedent for future amnesty. Opponents of legalization point to that law's enforcement shortfalls as the basis for resisting any new deal for long-term residents.

Immigrants who have lived in the U.S. without legal status for more than a decade may be watching whether any deal emerges, while people whose jobs involve service or farm labor are being told enforcement is not targeting them broadly. Neither group's eligibility or protection is settled by these remarks alone.

The takeaway

Presidential comments on immigration enforcement can signal shifts in priorities, but binding outcomes depend on policy text and eligibility rules that have not yet been published. Readers should watch for formal proposals rather than remarks made in interviews and calls.