With only 34 days until the midterm election, why is West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice coming out in favor of de facto amnesty and criticizing the Trump administration's immigration agenda?
According to Politico, Justice has said that the administration is "dragging people away that have lived on your street corner for 15 years."
"I don't know that we need to be doing that," Justice reportedly said.
Politico: Senator Jim Justice (R) of deep red West Virginia breaks with Trump on ICE
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) September 30, 2026
"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... To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you're… pic.twitter.com/GCaHhrX4vS
"To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you're doing something wrong," Justice added.
This sounds no different than the Democrat Party, which makes sense. Justice was a Democrat until 2017. He switched parties while governor, citing state-level gridlock and accusing Democrats of "walking away" from him during 2017 budget and tax negotiations.
But old habits die hard, it seems.
What is wrong about enforcing immigration laws? President Trump was reelected in 2024 in part because of the failed immigration policies of the Biden-Harris administration. And President Trump won deep-red West Virginia by 41.9 points.
Conservatives are not happy with Justice. Last week, instead of working with the Senate to pass the SAVE Act and other important legislation, Justice threw his dog a birthday party.
🚨New: West Virginia Senator Jim Justice is getting backlash for throwing a massive Birthday Party for Babydog on Capitol Hill pic.twitter.com/9z9tGTCtbw
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) September 25, 2026
This latest statement about immigration enforcement has only made conservatives more dissatisfied with Justice.
There is no such thing as legal residency, to say nothing of citizenship, by adverse possession. https://t.co/2d5rTgrtox
— alexandriabrown (@alexthechick) September 30, 2026
Correct. The fact they've broken our immigration laws for years does not mean we reward them with amnesty and citizenship.
Yes, @JimJusticeWV, we’ve been doing something wrong. We’ve allowed illegal aliens to enter our country and live here for 15 years. In case you missed it, we voted in 2024 to fix that. https://t.co/2EfoOe5lcD
— Immigration Accountability Project Action (@iaproject) September 30, 2026
Pat Adams, a former Deputy Assistant to the President and Press Advisor, slammed Justice's remarks.
Senator Jim Justice was a Democrat as recently as 2017, so this tracks. But he was also the only candidate who could beat Joe Manchin, and he forced Manchin out of running for reelection, which was a massive win for Republicans.
— Pat Adams (@PatAdams96) September 30, 2026
However, President Trump won West Virginia by 41… https://t.co/YU2Yt6dLmz pic.twitter.com/cwopEvd7yJ
"However, President Trump won West Virginia by 41 points in 2024. He won that presidential election (including the popular vote) campaigning on the largest mass deportation in history to reverse the Biden-era invasion.If you complain about the federal government removing people who entered our country illegally, you're arguing for de facto amnesty," Adams wrote on X.
"Republican voters don't want amnesty under any circumstance."
We voted for the opposite of amnesty, and polls have repeatedly shown that President Trump's immigration policies are favored by voters, including legal immigrants. It is a betrayal of President Trump and the Republican agenda for Sen. Justice to parrot Democrat talking points and push for mass amnesty for illegal aliens.
It doesn't matter how long an illegal alien has lived here, they are not transformed into a legal immigrant by the passage of time. Immigration laws have no statute of limitations, and rewarding illegal aliens for breaking our laws only encourages more illegal aliens to flood our nation. Justice knows this.
Justice is right about one thing: when you're doing something wrong, the first step is admitting it. He should start by admitting that campaigning as a Republican in a state President Trump carried by more than 40 points, only to turn around and scold the administration for enforcing our immigration laws, isn't what West Virginians voted for.
Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.