Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, is urging the administration to pull back on its immigration sweeps. He says ICE is removing people who have been part of their communities for years.
"Before you know it, you get people that get carried away in their job and whatever it may be, and all of a sudden, then you're dragging people away that have lived on your street corner for 15 years, and I don't know that we need to be doing that stuff," Justice told Politico on Tuesday.
He then went a step further and said the administration should admit it has made mistakes.
"To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you're doing something wrong," Justice said. "And in this situation, with all that's going on and all the stuff, we probably got to step back from it and say, 'Maybe we're doing something wrong here or there,' and then adjust to that."
Politico reporter Rachel Shin, who interviewed him, called the statement "a remarkable break from Trump admin" on X.
Justice sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee. His comments followed complaints from ranching groups that ICE operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma are costing cattle producers millions of dollars and disrupting supply chains, Politico reported. The outlet called his statement the latest and most forceful from a Republican unhappy with how ICE is running its operations.
Other Republicans have raised similar concerns. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) has criticized the administration's immigration enforcement, and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) accused Trump of "betrayal" of Latino voters. Over the weekend, Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported that ICE officers had been told to stop arresting immigrants with no criminal record. The administration later called that order a "miscommunication" and reversed it.
Justice, a billionaire coal and agriculture businessman and former governor of West Virginia, won his Senate seat in 2024 with Trump's endorsement.
Justice later issued a statement that walked back his earlier claims.
“Let me be crystal clear: I support President Trump’s immigration strategy, full stop. It’s not surprising that some are twisting my words to score political points, but there should be no confusion about where I stand," Justice said. "What’s been accomplished by President Trump in regards to our border and immigration is truly amazing. President Biden allowed millions upon millions to illegally enter our country. Cleaning up this mess has been a tremendous accomplishment."
