Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whom "border czar" Kamala Harris chose Tuesday to be her running mate, made the North Star State a sanctuary haven for illegal immigrants, providing them with free health care, college tuition, and driver's licenses, the New York Post reported.
Since becoming governor in 2019, Walz has signed several pieces of legislation that cater to illegal immigrants at the expense of the American taxpayer, including access to state-funded health care, free college tuition, and driver’s licenses for the millions of illegal migrants who have entered the county under the Biden-Harris administration. Walz now joins his party's presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, in her bid for the White House as she faces critics of her own soft-on-illegal-immigration policies.
During his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Walz said local law enforcement should not cooperate with federal agencies in enforcing federal immigration laws. "My position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state boils down to who has the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws," Walz said at the time.
"Here’s what I believe: Congress has given federal agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws in Minnesota, and I support their doing so," he added. "Congress has not given local law enforcement that same authority. The role of law enforcement is to enforce state and local laws, not federal immigration laws, and I strongly believe that they should not do so."
During his gubernatorial tenure, Walz signed a bill allowing the thousands of illegal immigrants in his state to obtain a Minnesota driver’s license.
"Ensuring drivers in our state are licensed and carry insurance makes the roads safer for all Minnesotans," Walz said after signing the 2023 bill. "As a longtime supporter of this bill, I am proud to finally sign it into law."
He also expanded MinnesotaCare, a state-funded low-income health insurance marketplace, to cover the care of illegal immigrants. The expansion of the program, which will take effect in 2025, is expected to cost the state at least $59 million per year.
Just last week, Walz criticized former president Donald Trump’s efforts to build a wall at the southern border, suggesting he would invest in a "ladder factory" to help migrants combat the wall.
"He talks about this wall, I always say, let me know how high it is. If it's 25 feet, then I'll invest in the 30-foot ladder factory," he said on CNN. "That's not how you stop this."
Harris, meanwhile, has a dismal immigration record of her own. Tapped to be President Joe Biden’s point-person on the border crisis, Harris has faced increased criticism for her failed border policies which have led to 7.8 million migrants illegally crossing the border under her watch.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the pairing is "the most dangerous P/VP ticket ever."
"She supports free health care to illegal immigrants. He signed laws giving state services to them. Both provide magnets for more illegal immigration," the border state governor posted on X.