Republican senator warns about impact of ICE raids: ‘Maybe we’re doing something wrong here or there’

Republican Senator Jim Justice from West Virginia called on the administration to reassess some of its immigration enforcement policies and warned about the impact of immigration operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on rural communities and farmworkers.

Justice, a former Democrat and prominent local businessman, served as governor of West Virginia from 2017-25, when he took his seat in the Senate. For the 2024 Senate elections, Justice was one of the star recruits of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), then chaired by Steve Daines, in an effort to defeat Joe Manchin. Ultimately, Manchin decided not to seek reelection, and Justice defeated Democrat Glenn Elliott by more than 40 percentage points.

"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 said in an interview on Tuesday, as initially reported by Politico.

"To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you’re doing something wrong. 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," he added.

The Republican serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and his remarks come after a report by the ACLU of West Virginia and Dragline noted that three out of every four people arrested during an ICE operation in West Virginia had no criminal record.

In addition, three livestock associations — the Kansas Livestock Association, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association — jointly warned about the impact of ICE operations on the availability of legal and skilled workers for the livestock industry.

Justice clarified his remarks and endorsed Trump's immigration agenda

Following the initial report by Politico, Justice posted a message on X to clarify his position and stated that he supports President Donald Trump.

"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 posted.

"West Virginians expect us to enforce the law, protect our communities, and keep dangerous criminals off our streets. That is exactly what I support," he added.

The senator also criticized the Biden administration's immigration policies and stated that Trump inherited the task of "cleaning up this mess." Finally, he assured that he will continue to work with the administration and law enforcement to "make West Virginia and this country safer."