'Any illegal immigrants?' Trump asks White House workers about deportation status

President Donald Trump joked with a group of workers at the White House on Wednesday as he discussed his immigration policies. Trump invited a crew installing a flagpole to stand with him while answering questions from reporters, then abruptly wondered aloud if any of them were in the U.S. illegally.

“Do we have anybody here? Any illegal immigrants?” he asked. None of the workers replied.

Trump assured the workers that they would be safe, telling them: “Don’t worry, I think you’re going to be OK. I’ll be right behind you. Far behind.” The men laughed as he repeated, “No, I’ll be right behind you.”


The president also joked that one of the workers might become a movie star. “Somebody is going to say that guy is perfect for a movie,” he said.

This came as Trump appeared to ease his hard-line immigration stance. Recently, he told federal agencies to reduce raids at farms and hotels. However, the Department of Homeland Security still lists work-site raids as a priority.

Asked by a reporter about these mixed messages, Trump said: “Everybody’s right.” He added that deporting people who have committed serious crimes would remain a top priority, saying, “We have to take care of our farmers. We have to take care of people that run leisure hotels. But most importantly, we have to get the criminals out of our country.”