Extended Interview: Homeland Security's James Percival on Third-Country Deportations

Ross Douthat sat down with Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on October 22 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. This is an extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday, November 1, 2026. This version was lightly condensed for clarity.In this conversation, Abdul El-Sayed makes claims about the utility DTE Energy and his opponent, Mike Rogers, that require context. El-Sayed says DTE “buy[s] off almost every politician in our state.” DTE and its political action committee have made extensive, publicly reported contributions to Michigan politicians, including a large majority of state legislators, but 60 Minutes found no evidence that DTE made improper payments in exchange for votes or regulatory decisions. El-Sayed says Rogers “made 14 million bucks” after leaving Congress. Financial disclosures show Rogers’ household net worth rose substantially after he left office in 2015, to an estimated $7 million to $14 million or more, but those figures reflect net worth, not earnings, and 60 Minutes was unable to verify that Rogers made $14 million.Listen to Ross’s interview with Mike Rogers: https://link.podtrac.com/2oydcqNYFor more context on both interviews: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-checking-el-sayed-rogers-60-minutes/

Ross Douthat sat down with Mike Rogers on October 20 at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. This is an extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday, November 1, 2026. This version was lightly condensed for clarity.In this extended interview, Mike Rogers makes several claims about his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, that require context. Rogers describes El-Sayed as a Democratic Socialist candidate. El-Sayed is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Rogers says El-Sayed has a close relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and wrote a letter in support of the group. In 2012, during the Arab Spring and years before the U.S. designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, El-Sayed signed a letter supporting Egypt’s newly elected, Brotherhood-backed government. He denies any ties to the group and has publicly disavowed it. Rogers also says El-Sayed has taken money from organizations that finance the Brotherhood and from supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah. El-Sayed has received donations from individuals affiliated with Muslim advocacy organizations, but 60 Minutes was unable to verify Rogers’ broader claims.Listen to Ross’s interview with Abdul El-Sayed: https://link.podtrac.com/sznats26And for more context on both interviews: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-checking-el-sayed-rogers-60-minutes/

Two days before Election Day, 60 MINUTES takes you to the battleground state of Michigan, where one of the most consequential, contentious, and closely-watched Senate contests in the country is playing out. Correspondent Ross Douthat speaks with Republican candidate Mike Rogers and Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed on the final stretch of their campaigns to talk about their platforms, how they’d represent Michigan voters in Washington and what it would mean if they win the seat that could decide which party controls the United States Senate. Keith Sharman is the producer.For six decades, the island of Cuba has been under communist rule and a U.S. trade embargo. This year, the Trump administration imposed new economic sanctions that it says target the country’s corrupt communist regime, restricting its oil supply and access to global trade. As the humanitarian crisis deepens, each country blames the other. Caught in the middle are more than nine million Cubans. 60 MINUTES’ Matt Gutman travels to Havana to report on a country in freefall. Gabrielle Schonder, Ayesha Siddiqi and Christine Romo are the producers.60 MINUTES' Jon Wertheim visited with San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama this preseason. At 7-foot-4, 22-year-old Wemby is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the new face of the NBA. Wertheim talks to Wemby about playing the game with his unique combination of size and skill, forging a career without a blueprint, and what he took away from losing to the New York Knicks in the 2026 Finals. 60 MINUTES cameras followed Wemby back home to France, where he runs an annual tournament combining basketball with another one of his passions: chess. Nathalie Sommer and Kaylee Tully are the producers. 

In an extended interview with 60 Minutes contributor Gianna Toboni, Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival talks about third-country deportations.

As the Trump administration seeks to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history, it is removing more and more people to countries they are not from and often have no ties to. It's called "third country deportation," and a 60 MINUTES investigation reveals how some of these third countries are forcing deportees back to the nations they fled, places where U.S. immigration judges have ruled they could not be sent because they’d likely face persecution or torture. 60 MINUTES’ Gianna Toboni travels to West Africa, where she meets a man who says he was sent, against his will, to his home country, despite a U.S. judge’s ruling. She also interviews the top lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security, James Percival, about these kinds of deportations. Andy Court, Annabelle Hanflig, and Camilo Montoya-Galvez are the producers.After one of the worst wildfires in Colorado history, Governor Jared Polis (D) asked the Trump administration for federal aid but was denied. The decision came as a top election official, Tina Peters, was serving a prison sentence after being convicted in connection with breaching her county’s election system in pursuit of President Trump's claim that rigged voting machines cost him the 2020 election. Governor Polis commuted Peters' sentence in May and saw the release of federal funding into his state. Correspondent Bill Whitaker interviews Governor Polis and Peters in Colorado about the case, conviction and commutation. Sarah Koch is the producer.   Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to force many social media companies to prevent children under the age of 16 from having accounts. 60 MINUTES' Holly Williams reports from Australia on how the ban is working, why other countries are now following its lead, and what the tech giants stand to lose if the Australian experiment succeeds. Jacqueline Williams and Erin Lyall are the producers.

In an extended interview, Sacha Baron Cohen tells 60 Minutes about early influences, creating his iconic characters and why he brought back Ali G.

As Democrats and Republicans battle for control of the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, 60 MINUTES’ Lesley Stahl reports on the stress on our voting system as the Trump administration places demands on state and local election officials. Stahl travels to Utah, where Republican Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson explains why she’s resisting pressure from Washington, and then speaks with Harmeet Dhillon from the Department of Justice about the role of the federal government. Andrew Bast is the producer.When the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed at the start of the war with Iran, it didn’t just choke off oil and gas; it also trapped one-third of the world’s helium supply. Then, Iranian strikes hit Ras Laffan in Qatar, the largest natural gas and helium facility in the world, further rattling supply chains. Correspondent Jon Wertheim reports on how this disruption halfway across the world is affecting a range of American industries, from scientific research to semiconductor manufacturing. Lucy Hatcher is the producer.60 MINUTES’ Ariel Levy travels to London to sit down with Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor behind Borat, Brüno, and Ali G, who has unleashed his iconic characters on unsuspecting people in the real world. The Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee speaks with 60 MINUTES about his new film, the craft behind his form of undercover comedy, and the serious point behind his satire. Michael Karzis, Aaron Weisz and Ian Flickinger are the producers.

Elizabeth Holmes claimed her start-up, Theranos, would revolutionizing blood testing, taking a pin-prick of blood and performing hundreds of laboratory tests. But as Norah O'Donnell reported in 2018, Theranos' machine never delivered on its promise, and Holmes is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran and Deputy Director Matt Quinn speak with 60 MINUTES in their first joint interview on the unprecedented number of threats against the President of the United States and other protectees. Correspondent Norah O’Donnell goes inside the agency to see how they are handling the rise in both foreign and domestic threats and deploying new technology, including drones. Michael Rey, Pat Milton and Julie Morse Goff are the producers.There’s been a surge in violence in the West Bank in recent months where some militant settlers have been seeking to drive out the Palestinians who live there. With the Israeli elections weeks away, 60 MINUTES’ Lesley Stahl reports from the region on a group called the Hilltop Youth who have carried out violent attacks, the Jewish activists working to stop them, and the Palestinians being driven off the land. Shachar Bar-On is the producer.Through the streets and subways of New York City, correspondent Bill Whitaker follows virtuoso Jon Batiste, a Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar winning musician, as he brings people together with music. Whitaker traces Batiste’s journey from Louisiana to The Juilliard School and beyond, dropping in on a recording session at Electric Lady in Greenwich Village and a moving performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Marc Lieberman and Cassidy McDonald are the producers. 

Retiring North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis speaks exclusively with 60 MINUTES about the political advisors he believes are responsible for undermining President Trump’s second term. In his only interview ahead of the release of his new book, "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents,” Tillis joins correspondent Ross Douthat for a candid conversation about the ups and downs of his relationship with President Trump, the state of the Senate and the Republican Party, and how his upbringing shaped his political outlook. Graham Messick is the producer. Editor's note: This podcast is an extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday, October 4th, 2026.