White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump remains fully committed to deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, arguing that immigration enforcement is central to the administration’s public-safety agenda.
In a Sunday interview, Leavitt said, “President Trump is never going to waver in the commitment that he made to the nearly 80 million Americans who voted for him to deport illegal alien criminals who broke our nation’s laws to get here and then have committed further crimes of violence against American citizens.” She praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol personnel as “true patriots,” and urged Democrats to stop, in her view, demonizing federal agents. Leavitt pointed to rhetoric comparing ICE to the Nazi Gestapo as “despicable,” saying it has fueled threats and attacks against officers.
Leavitt framed the administration’s enforcement posture as part of a broader “law and order” strategy, claiming it has contributed to historically low murder rates nationwide. She contrasted current conditions with the Biden era, asserting that violent crime and illegal immigration were higher under President Joe Biden.
She also suggested the White House is willing to engage with moderate Democrats, saying the administration recently invited lawmakers for discussions but that party leadership prevented the meeting. “These conversations will continue,” Leavitt said, adding that “ultimately the President will be the decider on any policy changes.”
Leavitt criticized efforts to interfere with border enforcement operations, citing incidents involving attacks on agents and damage to government vehicles. She described such acts as part of organized agitation and said federal agencies, including the FBI and Department of Justice, are investigating.
Leavitt’s repeated reference to “nearly 80 million” voters was presented as proof, she argued, that immigration enforcement remains a core priority for Trump’s supporters—and a key element of what the administration says it is doing to protect communities and restore public confidence in federal law enforcement.
