Ex-GOP lawmaker blast Trump officials who have 'no respect for veterans'

A Republican and former member of Congress on Thursday called out the Trump administration over the pending deportation of a U.S. Army veteran, accusing the president and other officials of having "no respect" for those who have served.

According to a Wednesday report from CBS News, Georgia resident Godfrey Wade, who has lived in the U.S. for around 50 years since immigrating from Jamaica, has been in ICE custody for five months amid their efforts to deport him. The man's attorney said that while an appeal is pending, their request for a stay of removal was recently shot down in court.

Wade came to the U.S. lawfully in 1975 and served overseas in the Army for years before being honorably discharged. In September, however, he was detained after failing to signal a turn properly and for driving without a license. ICE moved ahead with deportation efforts based on a 2014 removal order, based on a 2007 bounced check and a 2006 simple assault charge. Wade's attorney said that the assault charge stemmed from a domestic incident involving "a glass of milk was spilled and pots and pans were knocked to the floor. No physical violence was ever alleged."

"When we say thank you for your service, it should mean something," his son, Christian Wade, told reporters.

Wade's story was amplified on X in a post on Thursday from user @LongTimeHistory.

"Godfrey Wade served 8 years with deployment across 4 continents—after moving to the U.S. with a green card at age 15," the user wrote. "He won multiple awards—including a Wartime Veteran Medal, an Overseas Service Medal, and a U.S. Army Commendation Medal. Military veterans like him, who are also immigrants, used to have protected status — until Trump ordered ICE to end the policy in April of 2025. Since then he has been living with his partner, 6 children, and 3 grandchildren in Atlanta, Georgia."

In response to this post, former GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock, an outspoken critic of Trump since leaving office in 2019, attacked the Trump administration for its treatment of veterans.

"ICE and [Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller and JD Vance] also have NO RESPECT for veterans," Comstock wrote in a post to her official X account.