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Senior officials from the White House and House Republican leadership have advised GOP lawmakers to avoid discussing “mass deportations” in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections, urging them instead to focus public messaging on the removal of violent criminals.
The guidance was delivered Tuesday during a closed-door retreat for Republican lawmakers in Doral, Florida, where James Blair, deputy chief of staff to Donald Trump, and Lisa C. McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, told members to avoid broad references to sweeping deportation campaigns.
Instead, according to people familiar with the remarks, lawmakers were encouraged to highlight the administration’s efforts to deport immigrants convicted of violent crimes — an approach advisers believe resonates more strongly with voters.
The comments were first reported by Axios.
Shift in messaging ahead of elections
During his presidential campaign, Trump frequently promised to carry out what he described as the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, at times suggesting that between 15 million and 20 million undocumented immigrants could be removed from the country.
Immigration experts have noted that those figures exceed most estimates of the number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
In recent months, however, Trump has softened some of that rhetoric, suggesting that deportation efforts should initially prioritize people with criminal records. He has also floated potential protections for undocumented workers in industries such as agriculture and hospitality.
Blair told lawmakers at the retreat that focusing on criminal deportations would better align with public opinion, according to people familiar with the meeting.
Enforcement strategy draws scrutiny
For much of the past year, the administration pursued an aggressive immigration enforcement strategy that treated anyone living in the country illegally as eligible for deportation.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, led until recently by Kristi L. Noem, carried out a series of high-profile immigration raids.
By mid-2025, more than half of the immigrants removed from the United States had no criminal convictions, according to an analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data.
Trump dismissed Noem last week and tapped Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, to replace her as homeland security secretary.
Public opinion shifting
While Trump continues to receive strong approval ratings from Republican voters on border enforcement, polling suggests the broader public has become increasingly critical of large-scale deportation policies.
A recent The Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos survey found that 58% of Americans believe the administration has gone too far in deporting undocumented immigrants, an eight-point increase from the previous fall.
The poll also found 62% of respondents opposed aggressive tactics by immigration agents, following an incident in Minneapolis in which two U.S. citizens were fatally shot during an enforcement operation.
GOP messaging strategy
Republican strategists say the party’s messaging will now emphasize deportations of violent offenders rather than sweeping enforcement against all undocumented immigrants.
A senior GOP aide told The Washington Post that the party’s focus heading into the midterms will be “about deporting violent criminals and not mass deportations.”
According to people familiar with the meeting, Blair also encouraged lawmakers to criticize Democratic policies they say enable illegal immigration, including support for sanctuary cities and opposition to certain deportation efforts.
White House says policy unchanged
Despite the messaging shift, administration officials insist there has been no change in immigration enforcement policy.
“Nobody is changing the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Jackson said roughly 3 million undocumented immigrants have left the United States because of Trump’s policies, either through deportation or what officials describe as voluntary “self-deportation.” Some outside experts dispute that figure.
Trump himself has offered mixed signals. When asked last month whether he supports deporting immigrants who have otherwise obeyed the law but lack legal status, the president replied: “I want to see everybody deported, but we’re focusing on the criminals. We’re focusing on killers.”
