What we know
What we know: After their midterm win and Stephen Miller’s promotion, Democrats gear up for a fight on immigration
Compiled Nov 7
What we know
- Democrats won overwhelming victories in the midterm elections this week
- Stephen Miller was elevated Friday to become Trump's chief of staff
- Rep. Robert Garcia will take over the House Oversight Committee
- The last time Congress came close to passing comprehensive immigration reform was in 2013, when it cleared the Senate but died in the House
- Republicans in summer 2025 approved $150 billion to expand immigration detention, finish the border wall and hire more deportation officers
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on social media that deportations will continue
What we don’t know yet
- DHS faced criticism for 'alleged corruption and misuse of funds' — not confirmed
- Investigations could look into whether ICE 'cut corners' when hiring thousands of new deportation officers
- It's unclear if Democrats and the White House will find a middle ground to pass immigration legislation
- Investigations could delve into deaths in ICE detention facilities, not yet detailed in the article
Open questions
- Will Democrats and the Trump administration find common ground to pass immigration legislation?
- Will congressional investigations into ICE and DHS lead to any accountability?
- Will immigration enforcement actually slow down despite the Democratic midterm wins?
- Can Congress realistically limit the executive branch's expanded power over immigration enforcement?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.