Justice, a close political ally of President Trump who sits on the Senate agriculture committee, made the comments to Politico. "To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you're doing something wrong," he 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."
Justice's remarks came after three rancher associations condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the report. The industry relies heavily on immigrant labor, and the pushback suggests the friction is reaching Capitol Hill.
A sitting Republican senator publicly telling the administration it might be wrong on immigration enforcement is a break from the party line, especially from someone considered a Trump ally. For an administration that has leaned hard into enforcement as a signature policy, pressure from inside the party carries weight.
Justice built his political identity on coal and a folksy demeanor. Now he's the one telling the party to reconsider its approach.