Donald Trump is doubling down on aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, claiming they “haven’t gone far enough” and alleging that millions of people let into the country are actually “killers” released from “insane asylums.” It’s a pretty wild accusation to throw out there, and it certainly sounds like he’s trying to distract from other issues by cranking the fear factor up to 11.
The president sat down for a 60 Minutes interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, and the conversation quickly turned to the sometimes brutal tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. O’Donnell brought up specific examples, including videos showing an ICE agent shoving a woman to the floor at an immigration courthouse.
She also mentioned federal agents deploying tear gas in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood and instances where agents smashed car windows during raids. If you’re watching videos of federal agents smashing windows, you’d probably wonder if things have gone too far. That’s exactly what O’Donnell asked Trump. His response wasn’t what you might expect from a typical politician trying to soften their image. Instead, he flatly rejected the idea that the tactics were excessive.
ICE is too light, according to Trump, and it makes you wonder what he wants
“No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama,” Trump replied. That’s classic political deflection, isn’t it? He’s basically saying, his hands are tied, but if they weren’t, he’d be even more aggressive. He’s clearly trying to frame any restraint as a failure caused by political enemies.
O’Donnell pressed him further, asking directly if he was “OK with those tactics.” Trump confirmed he was fine with the aggressive approach, explaining that you “have to get the people out.” This is where his claims really started to escalate, moving far past the typical arguments about undocumented workers.
PRES TRUMP Q&A/CBS 60 MINUTES: ICE NOT TOUGH ENOUGH; DODGES QUESTION ABOUT WHY DEPORTING NON-CRIMINALS; NEED TO DO MORE DEPORTATIONS #Trump #ICE
— Mace News (@MaceNewsMacro) November 3, 2025
Trump claimed the people being targeted are far from harmless. He stated that many of them are “murderers.” He also claimed that many were “thrown outta their countries because they were, you know, criminals.” Then came the most shocking claim, aimed squarely at generating fear.
He claimed that many people entering the country are “people from frankly mental institutions.” He doubled down on this idea by stating, “I feel badly about that, but they’re released from insane asylums. You know why? Because they’re killers.”
Wow. That is a top-tier, fear-mongering statement. Suggesting that a massive wave of people released from foreign mental institutions who are secret “killers” have been allowed into the country is a massive, unsubstantiated claim. It’s clearly designed to justify the extremely aggressive deportation tactics that his administration has been carrying out in major American cities, fulfilling his campaign promise for mass deportations.
The White House has consistently tried to portray its federal agents as only targeting the “worst of the worst,” meaning criminal illegal migrants. However, if Trump’s claims about 25 million people being here are true, the scope of the operation is far wider than just those with criminal records.
When asked about the ultimate goal of his immigration mission, Trump outlined a staggering number of people he believes need to be deported. He said, “Well, it takes a long time, because, you know, probably I say 25 million people were let into our country,” he stated. “A lotta people say it was 10 million people. But whether it was ten or I believe I’m much closer to the right number. Of the 25, many of them should not be here. Many of them.”
