Trump says he’s open to amnesty for Dreamers; criminals at top of deportation list

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday revived the idea of an amnesty for illegal immigrant “Dreamers,” saying the time has come to offer them more permanent protections in the U.S.

Mr. Trump also said he is serious about a significant deportation effort that will initially target “criminals.” In mixed families with someone in the country illegally, those with legal status must decide whether to join their deported relatives.

In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Mr. Trump said he will attempt to end birthright citizenship, which automatically grants citizenship to almost anyone born on U.S. soil, including children of illegal immigrants.

“Well, we’re going to have to get it changed,” he said.

He said the enforcement promises are first. Later, he will try to strike a deal granting leniency to Dreamers, or illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and are considered the most sympathetic cases.

“I will work with the Democrats on a plan,” the president-elect said. “And if we can come up with a plan, but the Democrats have made it very, very difficult to do anything. Republicans are very open to the Dreamers.”

In 2018, Mr. Trump attempted a deal to offer a full pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients as part of a broader bill that would have funded construction of his border wall and imposed new restrictions on legal immigration.

Democrats rejected that overture.

During the “Meet the Press” interview, Mr. Trump said:

• He plans to issue a pardon to many of those who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He said there may be “some exceptions” but indicated that even those who attacked police officers may be in line for clemency.

“I’m going to act very quickly,” he said.

• He plans to call for unity in his inauguration address, though it’s a Trump-style unity.

“I think success brings unity,” he said.

• He would not trim Social Security benefits as he seeks cuts to help tame the enormous federal debt.

“We’re not talking Social Security, other than we might make it more efficient, but the people will get what they get,” he said.

The Democratic National Committee said the interview was a worrying preview of the second Trump term.

“Donald Trump is telling the American people exactly what he’ll try in his second term: gut the Affordable Care Act, put hard-earned benefits like Social Security at risk, and hike costs for working families,” said DNC spokesperson Alex Floyd.

Mr. Trump envisions a momentous first day in office. He plans to reverse some of President Biden’s executive actions and begin drafting the outlines of his second-term agenda.

He will crack down on illegal immigration. Some quick directives can change the Department of Homeland Security’s focus from broadly permissive to enforcement-minded.

Mr. Trump has mentioned an executive order to end birthright citizenship. Legal scholars say such a change would require at least an act of Congress and perhaps an amendment to the Constitution.

The incoming president acknowledged potential hurdles.

“We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it,” he said.

His overtures on Dreamers indicated a willingness to deal with Democrats in Congress, where legislation needs bipartisan buy-in.

Some Dreamers are protected by the Obama-era DACA program, which offers a tentative deportation amnesty. Others are low-priority targets for deportation but don’t have DACA-like protections.

“In many cases, they’ve become successful. They have great jobs. In some cases, they have small businesses. Some cases, they might have large businesses. And we’re going to have to do something with them,” Mr. Trump said. When pressed by NBC host Kristen Welker about whether he means to allow them “to stay,” he said, “I do.”

He chided Mr. Biden for going four years without a solution for Dreamers.

“He could have done something, but they didn’t do it,” Mr. Trump said. “I never understood why because they always seemed to want to do it, but then when it comes down to it, they don’t. I think we can work with the Democrats and work something out.”