'Too tough': Trump admits immigration crackdown went too far after Republican midterm losses

US President Donald Trump has admitted that his administration's mass deportation drive may have gone too far, describing the immigration crackdown as "too tough" in an interview with CBS's '60 Minutes'. His remarks come after the Republican Party suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections.

Asked whether his deportation policy had been too aggressive, Trump said: "I think it was too tough...I think it might be too tough."

An excerpt of the interview was released by CBS on Sunday ahead of its television broadcast. Trump also acknowledged that the policy had affected people who had jobs but had entered the country illegally.

Trump admits deportation drive affected workers

Defending his immigration record, Trump said the policy had delivered mixed results, helping him secure the US-Mexico border while also drawing criticism over deportations.

He claimed the policy "both helped and hurt", adding that voters gave him an "A+ for closing up the border" and "very high marks for getting the bad ones out".

However, he admitted that the crackdown had also affected people who were working and had committed no other violation apart from entering the US illegally.

"I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally," Trump said.

Immigration ranked as the third most important issue for voters in the midterm elections, behind the economy and concerns over the state of democracy, according to election-day polling.

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DHS rules out slowing down immigration enforcement

Despite Trump's admission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shown no indication of easing its immigration crackdown.

"ICE is NOT backing away or slowing down," a DHS spokesperson was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Trump's comments have also raised questions about whether his administration will reconsider its deportation strategy following the Republican election setback.

On Friday, he appointed Stephen Miller, the architect of his hardline immigration policy, as his chief of staff. Miller has been a key figure in the administration's deportation drive and has defended federal immigration agents amid criticism over their actions.

Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, appeared more open to adjusting the administration's approach following the election results.

"I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement - by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labour, for instance," Vance wrote in a lengthy online post reflecting on the Republican losses.

Trump, however, took no personal responsibility for the party's poor performance. He argued that Republican candidates had failed to translate his popularity into support for their own election campaigns.