The White House has provided a response to my inquiry about the recent Axios report, which claims the administration is privately advising House Republicans to avoid highlighting "mass deportations" in their public messaging.
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“Nobody is changing the Administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. President Trump’s highest priority has always been the deportation of illegal alien criminals who endanger American communities. As the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly said, approximately 70% of deportations to date have been illegal aliens with criminal records. Thanks to President Trump’s strong immigration enforcement policies, approximately 3 million illegals have left the United States, either through forced deportation or self-deportation, with zero illegals coming through the most secure border in U.S. History for nine straight months.” WH spokeswoman Abigail Jackson
According to Axios, the White House, through Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, privately urged House Republicans during a closed-door briefing at their annual retreat in Doral, Florida, to stop emphasizing "mass deportations" in their messaging. Instead, Blair advised them to focus on deporting violent criminals, citing concerns that the broader term has become politically problematic amid declining public support and incidents complicating the narrative. This shift comes as the administration recalibrates its immigration rhetoric ahead of the 2026 midterms, despite mass deportations having been a central GOP campaign promise in 2024.