Trump tells DHS chief to work with Democrats on immigration reform, but no amnesty

President Donald Trump has encouraged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to work with Democrats who have reached out about immigration reform, but the administration remains opposed to amnesty.

Mullin told reporters on the sidelines of a counter-drone conference in Maryland on Monday that "a lot of Democrats" have contacted him about working together on immigration legislation in the new Congress. He said he had let the president know those calls were coming in, and the president had said: "Let's start working with them and then let's meet at some point."

However, Mullin emphasised that he and Trump have not discussed changing the administration's immigration enforcement policies. "But has there been a conversation about changing the policy?" Mullin said of his discussions with Trump. "No, we haven't had that conversation."

"We're never going to allow amnesty to happen," Mullin added.

Mullin also suggested Congress could consider a pathway to permanent legal status for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to eligible immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

"If we want to have an immigration reform to where we can look at DACA and figure out a way that these individuals can become maybe legal permanent citizens or something like this, that'll be up to Congress," Mullin said.

Mullin's comments come after Trump signaled openness to working with Democrats on immigration following the 2026 midterm elections, even as the president named Stephen Miller, the architect of his administration's hardline immigration policies, as his new White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.

Mullin's willingness to consider a legislative pathway for DACA recipients marks a shift in tone from the department's messaging earlier this year. In a March post on X, DHS stressed that DACA "does not confer any form of legal status in this country" and warned that recipients could be arrested and deported, including for criminal conduct.

The post also included video of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., questioning then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Durbin asked whether Noem was aware that DACA immigrants must undergo criminal background checks. Noem responded that the agency follows the law in its detention and deportation decisions.

DHS said in the post that ICE arrested 264 DACA recipients nationwide between Jan. 20 and Sept. 28, 2025, and that more than 92% had been charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States.

Mullin's comments Monday marked his first public suggestion that DACA recipients could gain permanent legal status through congressional action. DHS did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by publication time.