Sen. Jim Justice is urging a softer approach to President Donald Trump’s deportation crackdown as the West Virginia Republican weighs a bid to reclaim his old job as governor.

Justice, who is considering a 2028 primary challenge to Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey, told Politico this week that immigration enforcement can go too far when agents target people who have spent years living in a community.

“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.

The remarks put Justice at odds with the Trump administration’s approach to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. They also come as agricultural employers press Republicans to curb the crackdown, arguing that deportations of workers in the country illegally are driving up labor costs.

Later on Wednesday, Justice posted a lengthy message on X in response to critics.

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A run against Morrisey would bring Justice back onto familiar turf, though under a different party banner than when he first sought the governor’s office.

Justice won the governorship as a Democrat in 2016, switched to the Republican Party while in office and secured reelection as a Republican. He won his Senate seat in 2024.

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