Jim Justice floats scaling back of deportations

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., this week broke with the Trump administration over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, suggesting that the agency scale down its deportations.

“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.

His comments come as Justice mulls a primary challenge to Gov. Patrick Morrissey, R-W.V., who faces reelection in 2028. Justice first won election to the governor's mansion in 2016 as a Democrat. He later defected to the GOP and won reelection on that party's ticket. He then ran for Senate as a Republican in 2024.

Justice's comments come as the agricultural sector complains of rising labor costs from the deportation of illegal aliens and has ramped up pressure on Republicans to rein in Trump on immigration enforcement.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.