Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that immigrant deportations have gone too far, breaking with the hardline approach of the Trump administration and angering the MAGA base she was once a leading figure in.
“As a conservative and as a business owner in the construction industry, and as a realist, I can say we have to do something about labor. And that needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them just like that,” Greene said on the Tim Dillon Show podcast on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Greene continues to maintain her support for President Donald Trump, but has in recent months begun to increasingly break with the Trump administration on several key issues.
She has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza, calling it a “genocide,” and is among the few Republicans to demand the release of files relating to crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein. She has also recently broken with her party on healthcare to oppose steep premium increases.
Her take on immigration is the latest example of her willingness to defy party lines.
What To Know
Speaking on Dillon’s podcast, Greene said that “we have a labor force in America across many industries that has been built on illegal labor, that’s a fact.”
The congresswoman expressed her continued support for strong borders and strict enforcement of immigration policies, but said the government needed to build an “off-ramp” to reduce the reliance on undocumented immigrant labor.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer was quick to criticize Greene’s comments, writing on X: “We need to put AMERICAN workers first. We don’t need to be coddling and protecting big corporations that evade the law to hire cheap illegal aliens.”
Loomer claimed in another post that the congresswoman was a “sell-out” who was “just trying to save her own construction company.”
Greene is a co-owner of Taylor Commercial, a Georgia construction company founded by her father and later purchased by her and her then-husband Perry Greene.
Several social media users criticized Greene’s comments, suggesting she was betraying her party or speaking in self-interest.
However, other social media users called Greene’s comments sensible and realistic, and she responded to one by saying: “Yesss. Apparently hard for the average social media cultists to understand.”
What People Are Saying
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told NBC News last week: “I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president, and I don’t think anyone should be.”
Prominent X commentator known by the name Catturd wrote that Greene is a “sellout fraud.”
Another commentator known as 0HOUR wrote: “Lets face it there is a fracture of losers who left the MAGA movement,” adding “either get on board or go join California in the Socialist utopia.”
Another account called The Watcher On The Web said: “Investigate MTG’s construction business If she’s knowingly employing illegals, charge her criminally.”
What Happens Next
Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.