Stephen Miller reportedly managed to slash the refugee cap by sneaking it past certain Trump officials

It's easy to win a battle when your opponent isn't in the room.

That was reportedly senior adviser Stephen Miller's strategy for convincing President Trump to cap refugee admissions at 30,000 in 2019. Miller pushed for the record-low limit in a meeting with top Trump administration officials, NBC News reported Friday — but didn't invite colleagues who he thought might make his job more difficult.

Miller reportedly left U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and other officials out of the meeting. The ones who weren't invited, curiously, were officials who have consistently voiced opposition to further lowering the refugee admission ceiling. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the change Monday, not commenting on whether he had had a change of heart since his previous preference for a higher cap. Sources told NBC News that Pompeo eventually bent to Miller's will. "Pompeo got rolled," said one former official.

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Miller also headed up the Trump administration's efforts to strictly limit immigration from several Muslim-majority countries, as well as the zero-tolerance policy that lead to migrant families being separated at the southern border. He is an increasingly powerful voice on immigration, reports Politico, gaining favor with Trump with his hard-line views. Read more at NBC News.