ICE unlikely to ease crackdown after midterm losses, officials say, citing Stephen Miller

The Trump administration is unlikely to scale back its aggressive immigration crackdown after the midterm elections, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News. They pointed to the elevation of Stephen Miller, a longtime immigration hawk, to White House chief of staff ¹.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have received no instructions to reduce enforcement since the election, the sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press ¹.

Asked whether the midterms would bring a pullback, one official said, "I would count on the opposite" with Miller as chief of staff ¹.

A higher arrest target

In recent weeks, ICE officials were told to try for about 19,000 arrests a week, or roughly 2,700 a day, agency sources told CBS News. That is up from an earlier target of 2,000 a day, and it was set before the midterms ¹.

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The sources said the administration believes last week's losses were driven mostly by the economy, affordability and the war with Iran, not by immigration ¹. Exit polls tell a more mixed story. Immigration ranked among the top issues for Texas Latinos, who swung heavily toward Democrats, and 58% of voters nationwide said the deportation crackdown had "gone too far" ¹.

This administration will not slow down its efforts to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens who terrorize our communities. There has never been a President stronger on immigration enforcement than President Trump

White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis did not address the election results directly. She pointed to security at the U.S.-Mexico border, where she said illegal crossings have fallen to historically low levels ¹.

What Democrats can and cannot do

Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress in January. They will gain broad powers to investigate the crackdown and its most controversial policies ¹.

Theresa Cardinal Brown worked on immigration at DHS under Presidents Obama and Bush. She expects Democrats to issue subpoenas, hold oversight hearings and try to limit immigration enforcement funds ¹.

She also expects states and cities with new Democratic leaders, such as Texas, to limit local police work with ICE. Houston's mayor said last week that he would direct city police to limit cooperation ¹.

But she said President Trump will likely veto any bill that restricts ICE. She added that the agency received $75 billion through 2029 under the "One Big Beautiful Bill" he signed last year ¹.

They have the money. They have the resources.

Why this matters

Miller helped build the policies now in force. Under him, the administration has effectively closed the asylum system, shut down refugee admissions with an exemption for white South Africans, and tightened access to green cards ¹. In January, federal immigration officials killed two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during a crackdown in Minneapolis. The administration scaled that operation back after bipartisan outcry ¹.

Reports of White House tension over Miller's approach are less settled. The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 4 that Trump told aides Miller "had gone too far with the administration's immigration campaign," according to a secondhand account. That account said the Journal did not establish any change in policy ². CBS News reports that, for now, no such change has reached ICE ¹.

What happens next depends on January. Democrats will have subpoena power, but the money for enforcement is already approved, and a presidential veto is likely to block any bill to limit it ¹.

The Record

1. Jan 1, 2026Federal immigration officials killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during a Minneapolis crackdown that was later scaled back ¹.
2. Nov 3, 2026Republicans suffered heavy midterm losses. 58% of voters said the deportation crackdown had gone too far ¹.
3. Nov 4, 2026The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told aides Miller had gone too far on immigration, according to a secondhand account ².
4. Nov 8, 2026CBS News reported that ICE has received no order to ease enforcement and that its arrest target is about 2,700 a day ¹.

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<h2>ICE unlikely to ease crackdown after midterm losses, officials say, citing Stephen Miller</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ice-unlikely-to-ease-crackdown-after-midterm-losses-officials-say-citing-stephen">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 8, 2026.</em></p> <p>The Trump administration is unlikely to scale back its aggressive immigration crackdown after the midterm elections, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News. They pointed to the elevation of Stephen Miller, a longtime immigration hawk, to White House chief of staff .</p> <p>Officials at the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have received no instructions to reduce enforcement since the election, the sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press .</p> <p>Asked whether the midterms would bring a pullback, one official said, &quot;I would count on the opposite&quot; with Miller as chief of staff .</p> <h2>A higher arrest target</h2> <p>In recent weeks, ICE officials were told to try for about 19,000 arrests a week, or roughly 2,700 a day, agency sources told CBS News. That is up from an earlier target of 2,000 a day, and it was set before the midterms .</p> <p>The sources said the administration believes last week&#39;s losses were driven mostly by the economy, affordability and the war with Iran, not by immigration . Exit polls tell a more mixed story. Immigration ranked among the top issues for Texas Latinos, who swung heavily toward Democrats, and 58% of voters nationwide said the deportation crackdown had &quot;gone too far&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>This administration will not slow down its efforts to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens who terrorize our communities. There has never been a President stronger on immigration enforcement than President Trump</p><p>&mdash; Lauren Bis, White House spokeswoman</p></blockquote> <p>White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis did not address the election results directly. She pointed to security at the U.S.-Mexico border, where she said illegal crossings have fallen to historically low levels .</p> <h2>What Democrats can and cannot do</h2> <p>Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress in January. They will gain broad powers to investigate the crackdown and its most controversial policies .</p> <p>Theresa Cardinal Brown worked on immigration at DHS under Presidents Obama and Bush. She expects Democrats to issue subpoenas, hold oversight hearings and try to limit immigration enforcement funds .</p> <p>She also expects states and cities with new Democratic leaders, such as Texas, to limit local police work with ICE. Houston&#39;s mayor said last week that he would direct city police to limit cooperation .</p> <p>But she said President Trump will likely veto any bill that restricts ICE. She added that the agency received $75 billion through 2029 under the &quot;One Big Beautiful Bill&quot; he signed last year .</p> <blockquote><p>They have the money. They have the resources.</p><p>&mdash; Theresa Cardinal Brown, former Department of Homeland Security immigration official under Presidents Obama and Bush</p></blockquote> <h2>Why this matters</h2> <p>Miller helped build the policies now in force. Under him, the administration has effectively closed the asylum system, shut down refugee admissions with an exemption for white South Africans, and tightened access to green cards . In January, federal immigration officials killed two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during a crackdown in Minneapolis. The administration scaled that operation back after bipartisan outcry .</p> <p>Reports of White House tension over Miller&#39;s approach are less settled. The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 4 that Trump told aides Miller &quot;had gone too far with the administration&#39;s immigration campaign,&quot; according to a secondhand account. That account said the Journal did not establish any change in policy . CBS News reports that, for now, no such change has reached ICE .</p> <p>What happens next depends on January. Democrats will have subpoena power, but the money for enforcement is already approved, and a presidential veto is likely to block any bill to limit it .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ice-unlikely-to-ease-crackdown-after-midterm-losses-officials-say-citing-stephen">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/ice-unlikely-to-ease-crackdown-after-midterm-losses-officials-say-citing-stephen.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. CBS News, “ICE unlikely to scale back crackdown, sources say, citing Stephen Miller” (2026-11-08). cbsnews.com/news/ice-crackdown-stephen-miller-illegal-immigr
2. IBTimes UK, “Melania Complained About Deportations of People She Knew as Trump Reportedly Said Miller Went Too Far” (2026-11-05). ibtimes.co.uk/melania-trump-deportations-stephen-miller-wsj-

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