The stunning election sweep by Democrats seemingly thawed negotiations over immigration policy, one of the most contentious topics during President Donald Trump’s second term.
As it became clear Democrats would take control of the House and Senate, Trump struck a less strident tone than the aggressive approach to immigration enforcement that has defined his administration.
“We can work with them on immigration, I think. Immigration is a big deal. I’ve always felt we should be able to work on immigration,” Trump said on a call to Fox News.
Sen.-elect James Talarico, whose historic flip in Texas was supported by Latino voters, offered a similar take. “He has done a better job than the previous administration in securing our border, but we also need to create more legal pathways for hardworking immigrants who want to come here and contribute to our economy,” Talarico said during a Fox News interview Wednesday morning.
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The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has led to the killings of immigrants and U.S. citizens, the detention of tens of thousands and the erasure of legal status for more than a million. Although immigration was not a top issue, including for Latinos, polls showed for months before the midterm elections that voters said Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy had gone too far.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged in a post-election message that administration actions cost Republicans the legislative branch, mostly blaming the Iran war but also mentioning immigration. While he also voiced willingness for change, Vance remained closed off to granting legal status for undocumented immigrants.
“Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty,” Vance wrote in an X post. “I’m open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.”
Democrats in committees dealing with immigration see an opportunity for change.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration issues, said in a statement Wednesday that it’s time to “get to work.”
Padilla said he wants to pass legislation granting a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years and paid taxes. “Yesterday, the American people showed up and demanded a better future,” he said. “Now it’s Congress’ job to build it.”
His counterpart in the House, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), said Trump’s attacks on immigrants created momentum for reforms like citizenship for people who came into the country as minors, or the spouses, kids and parents of Americans.
“So I do think that there’s a chance that our humane immigration reform legislation could get support in the Senate and that we could send it to the president’s desk,” Jayapal said. “Whether or not he signs it is a whole other issue.”
More than 60% of Latino voters supported Democratic candidates in House and Senate races, according to a new poll from BSP Research and the African American Research Collaborative commissioned by a slew of immigrant rights groups. The poll, conducted between Oct. 20 and Election Day, showed 63% of Latinos worried they would be targeted by government policies because of their race, ethnicity, religion, language, immigration status or national origin.
House Democrats were quick to reinforce their intentions to investigate immigration agents’ abuse of power and Department of Homeland Security operations. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), who is set to become the chair of the House Oversight Committee, in an X post as the blue tsunami materialized Tuesday night, gave a two-word warning: “Lawyer up.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he is preparing to probe DHS’s standards for hiring immigration agents, training and enforcement policies and sole-source contracts.
Thompson said he remains skeptical of the Trump administration’s willingness for a bipartisan agreement on the issue but that he is looking forward to civil conversations.
“When you get your head handed to you on a silver platter, and some of your policies have contributed to that occurring, I’m certain that it has a humbling effect,” Thompson told The Washington Sun. “But I remain to see if, for once during his presidency on immigration, that Donald Trump tells the truth.”
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) posted on social media that current and former immigration officials in the Trump administration should clear their calendars to deal with congressional oversight efforts over the next two years.
But Democrats’ plans for oversight investigations are all but certain to face opposition from the Trump administration.
“It is unfortunate that Democrats are more interested in political shenanigans than in governing,” DHS general counsel James Percival posted in response to Ramirez. “Rest assured, however, that we are well prepared to deal with this nonsense so Secretary Mullin can continue focusing on protecting the homeland,” Percival said on X.
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