President-elect Trump's top aide for immigration and border affairs spoke with House Republicans during a nearly hour-long meeting on Wednesday.
He praised the lawmakers who left the chamber Stephen Millerwho was chosen to be the US Homeland Security Advisor in the new Trump administration, as a brilliant political mind.
Two sources present at the discussions told Fox News Digital Miller that there is a need to increase the workforce at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is noteworthy given Trump's promise to carry out mass deportations upon his return to office.
Miller also discussed ways to reduce federal funds Sanctuary cities And the states, a cash flow that Republicans previously promised to target if they wanted to control the reins of power in Washington.
Trump advisor Stephen Miller addresses a group of House Republicans on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. (Getty Images)
The strategic meeting comes as Republicans in Congress prepare to undertake a sweeping overhaul of conservative policy through the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51, reconciliation allows the party that controls Congress and the White House to pass broad policy changes — provided they handle budget and other fiscal matters.
Part of the meeting partly focused on what, sources told Fox News Digital Miller Borders and migration Policies could go into the reconciliation package and what type of funding Congress would need to allocate.
Miller told Republicans that the incoming Trump administration recognizes that the president-elect's border and immigration goals “will probably not get many” Democratic votes and that “those are the most contentious matters that need to be in reconciliation,” the sources said. The sources added that it is possible to pass more initiatives between the two parties during the regular process.
One Republican House lawmaker told Fox News Digital that Congress will follow Trump's lead.
“I think we're going to see a significant number of executive orders early on, and that will be helpful to separate from what we need to do legislatively,” the lawmaker said.
One of the sources in the room said that Miller stressed the importance of sending messages, adding that “nothing matters if we do not deliver our message to the American people.”
President-elect Trump promised to carry out mass deportations. (Donald Trump/The Social Truth)
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital Miller discussed “low-hanging fruit” that Trump could address with an executive order, mentioning “deportation” as a possibility.
“The tax stuff is going to take some time,” Norman said.
Rep. Mark Alford, Republican of Missouri, declined to go into details about the meeting but told Fox News Digital that the discussion focused on “illegal immigration and how it will be curbed…to provide common sense solutions to the program.”
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“I have two questions about the cost to American taxpayers if we do not return the approximately 12 million illegal aliens that the Biden administration has allowed into our country,” Alford said.
Miller refused to answer reporters' questions when he left the room.
He was invited to speak to the Republican Study Committee chaired by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the largest House GOP caucus, which serves as a conservative think tank of sorts for the rest of the House Republican Conference.
House GOP leaders, such as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, were not present and were not expected to attend.
Rep. Mark Alford said he asked about the cost to taxpayers of keeping millions of illegal immigrants in the country. (Getty Images)
Rep. Kevin Hearne, R-Oklahoma, a former chairman of the group, said there was “nothing new” said during the meeting, adding that it was an opportunity for Trump aides to address the House GOP.
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Trump and his aides have already paid close attention to Republicans in Congress.
Many of his new White House aides have regular contact with top GOP lawmakers. Trump personally invited several groups of House Republicans to Mar-a-Lago last weekend.
