Tim Walz’s immigration record in Minnesota shows support for sanctuary policies

Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) record on immigration has come into focus after Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, selected the Minnesotan as her running mate.

Harris is vulnerable on immigration after being tasked early on as vice president with addressing the root causes of the border crisis — only for illegal immigration levels to rise to historic highs during her tenure.

As Harris goes up against former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, in November, her selection of a Democrat with a record of implementing progressive immigration policies could give Harris a leg-up with Democrats but also give pause to independents and Republicans concerned about border security.

Walz beat out centrist candidate Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who had broken with the White House in recent years to call for President Joe Biden to finish portions of the Trump-era border wall and opposed its plan to end Title 42, a border policy that allowed illegal immigrants to be returned to Mexico.

Walz has held public office for nearly two decades and has shifted further to the Left with support for policies that benefit illegal immigrants, even reupping in early August a clip of him stating he would invest in ladders capable of getting migrants in Mexico over the border wall.

“I always say, ‘Let me know how high it is.’ If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in a 30-foot-ladder factory. That’s not how you stop this,” Walz said.

Harris tapped the two-term governor Tuesday morning. The veteran-turned-congressman has a history of advancing liberal immigration policies, a top matter on voters’ minds heading into November.

As a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Waltz said he supported Pennsylvania becoming a “sanctuary” state, a term used for local and state jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration officers.

“My position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state boils down to who has the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws,” Walz said at the time.

Walz has signed several state bills into law since becoming governor in 2019. Under his leadership, Minnesota in 2023 approved free college tuition for illegal immigrants in the state under its North Star Promise program.

The state also allowed all residents to enroll in its publicly subsidized health insurance program, MinnesotaCare, regardless of immigration status. Roughly 40,000 illegal immigrants living in the state were eligible to enroll at the time the law was enacted last year, according to local news outlet the Minnesota Reformer.

Earlier in 2023, Walz signed into law a bill that would allow all residents to apply for a driver’s license, including up to 81,000 people without permanent legal status.

All of the state bills are commonplace in that most Democrat-governed states have passed these measures, while more progressive states, such as California and New York, have gone further.

Walz is a former six-term congressman who served from 2007 to 2019 before becoming governor. He represented a large, primarily rural area of southern Minnesota along the Iowa border.

Walz served in the Army National Guard for 24 years and trained in heavy artillery. He retired and pursued teaching social studies at a local school before pursuing politics.

Republicans were quick to ding Walz over his immigration record and posted statements online within hours.

“Tim Walz. Driver’s Licenses For Illegals Weak. Failed. Dangerously Liberal. Just like Kamala,” the Republican National Committee’s research arm posted Tuesday on X.

“Tim Walz wants to invest in a ‘ladder factory’ to help illegals scale the border wall,” the Trump War Room account posted on X, sharing a clip from a Walz interview on CNN. “Walz supports sanctuary cities, driver’s licenses for illegals, free college for illegals, free health care for illegals, and so much more. Just like Kamala.”

Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley called the Harris-Walz ticket “a win for open borders, socialism, and Iran.”

Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) suggested Walz would forgive immigration offenses of illegal immigrants who had been released from the border into the United States.

“Kamala Harris doesn’t believe an ILLEGAL ALIEN is ILLEGAL. Tim Walz gave ILLEGAL ALIENS driver licenses as governor of Minnesota,” said Mast in a post to X. “The worst BORDER CZAR in U.S. history found her perfect partner.”