Where Tim Walz Stands on Immigration After Kamala Harris Makes VP Pick

CLOSE X 00:29 Kamala Harris Picks Tim Walz As Vice President By Dan Gooding AND Billal Rahman FOLLOW 20 Kamala Harris has picked a vice presidential candidate with a record of supporting immigration, as both a member of Congress and as governor. Tim Walz joins Harris' campaign at a time when Republicans appear to be focused on one key issue: the U.S. Mexico border and Harris' record on immigration, with Donald Trump and his running mate J. D. Vance repeatedly calling out the so-called "Border Czar". As the Minnesota governor ran for reelection in 2022, he said immigration was part of his state's economy and culture. "Walk down the streets of Worthington, Willmar, Mankato, or St. Paul, and you see that it's the fabric of our life," Walz told the Sahan Journal. Tim Walz Kamala Harris Immigration comp Main: Eliana, 22, a migrant from Venezuela, holds her daughter Crismarlees, 3, while being denied entry after attempting to cross through concertina from the U.S. side of the Rio Grande river on March 26, 2024... More Brandon Bell/Stephen Maturen/MARK FELIX/AFP/Getty Images There are about 500,000 foreign-born residents in Minnesota, making up about 8.4% of the state's population, per American Immigration Council data, with many working in manufacturing, STEM jobs or as entrepreneurs. An assessment for the Minnesota state government described migrants as a vital part of the state's economy and growth overall. Sign up for Newsletter Newsletter The Bulletin Your Morning Starts Here Begin your day with a curated outlook of top news around the world and why it matters. Enter your email address I want to receive special offers and promotions from Newsweek By clicking on SIGN ME UP, you agree to Newsweek's Terms of Use & Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. Waltz may appeal to voters in regions where immigration is highly salient and a growing concern for residents, according to one expert. "Democrats are likely to do well in Minnesota regardless, they are clearly hoping that the addition of Waltz could sway at least some in independents or wavering Democratic places," Professor William Hurst, co-director at the Center for Geopolitics at Cambridge University, told Newsweek. According to a poll by Fox News conducted last month, Harris is leading Trump in Minnesota by six points (52% to 46%). The state has not voted Republican in a presidential race since 1972. Exclusively Available to Subscribers Try it now for $1 Driver licenses for illegal immigrants In early 2023, Walz expanded driver's licenses to all residents in Minnesota, regardless of their immigration status. It was estimated that around 81,000 undocumented migrants would benefit from the bill, which allowed them to apply for a state-issued ID card. Read more Immigration Tim Walz Mocks JD Vance In Battle of Midwestern VP Picks at Philly Rally Barack Obama Reacts After Tim Walz Named VP Tim Walz Approval Rating Compared to JD Vance, According to Polls Tim Walz's Military Record: VP Pick Becomes Nominee With Longest Service The bill was similar to legislation enacted in 18 other states and Washington D.C., where undocumented migrants can also apply for state-issued IDs. But it's a stance that could come back to haunt Walz as he positions himself as a moderate. Polls have shown the policy of expanding licenses to undocumented migrants is unpopular, with less than half of voters in deep-blue New York in favor when a similar law was enacted in 2019. Minnesota as 'sanctuary state' Walz faced accusations of wanting to "turn Minnesota into California" by supporting efforts to give Minnesota so-called "sanctuary state" status for illegal immigrants. "My position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state boils down to who has the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws," Walz told CBS in 2018, explaining his support. Ad Choices Sponsored Content ASICS GelNYC Pink Sneakers in Cream/Mineral Beige By StockX Jeff Johnson, the GOP candidate for governor at the time, lambasted Walz over his record on illegal immigration during the gubernatorial race in 2018. A campaign ad released in October of that year said: "This election is all about vision. One candidate sees a Minnesota where we all lose our health insurance, forced on to one government plan. Where we become a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants, and where we all pay even higher taxes. He wants us to be California." GOP congressional delegates from Minnesota also sent a letter to Walz in February of this year, laying out their concerns surrounding plans to become a sanctuary state. The letter said: "The "Sanctuary City/State" experiment has proven to be an utter failure. These states and municipalities have become overrun with illegal immigrants and have used public schools, recreation centers, and parks to shelter these individuals. "This experiment is also costly and dangerous; "Sanctuary" status costs taxpayers billions of dollars. Minnesota is already one of the highest-taxed states in the nation. We advise you against increasing the economic stress of the citizenry by gifting their hard-earned tax dollars to illegal immigrants." Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, though two counties — Hennepin and Ramsey — are sanctuary communities. Legislation does not protect the undocumented who are arrested and charged with serious and violent crimes. Although it does protect someone who is undocumented if they are pulled over for a minor traffic offense from being deported. How does Walz compare to Vance on immigration? On an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe last month, Walz described Trump and Vance as "weird" in one of the defining viral moments of the 2024 presidential election, which also led Walz's star to rise within the Democratic party. For his part, Vance has supported plans to enforce mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the U.S. despite it being unclear how such a program would be achieved. Walz opposes Trump's flagship mass deportation policy. "We have to deport people, we have to deport people who broke our laws who came in here and I think we start with the violent criminals," Vance told Fox News. Conservative influencers and pundits have claimed Walz wants to invest in a "ladder factory" to help migrants climb Trump's border wall. That line of attack stems from an appearance Walz recently made on CNN, talking about Trump's flagship border wall policy. Walz said: "You know, 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." Walz voted to keep migrant families together During his time in the House, where he represented Minnesota's conservative 1st district, Walz voted on a bill to keep families together after they had crossed the U.S. Mexico border. The bill, introduced in June 2018, came at the height of the furor over Trump's family separation policy, which included taking undocumented children from their parents at the border and housing them separately. Walz co-sponsored the legislation, which included restrictions on as and when a child might be taken from their parent or guardian. Earlier in his Congressional term, in 2017, Walz backed legislation that would extend temporary protected status for undocumented migrants, to include automatic extensions if they met certain criteria. In total, Walz cosponsored 27 pieces of immigration-related legislation during his term form 2007 through 2019, before he became governor. Hurst argued that Walz won't have a significant impact on immigration policy. "I don't expect that he will have any especially important impact on immigration policy," said Hurst, the Cambridge professor. "It is true, though, that Minnesota stands out as among the more liberal states in terms of welcoming immigrants and refugees, especially since about 1980 and despite historically being among the least ethnically diverse states prior to that time. "Walz has successfully represented a state that is both relatively liberal on immigration and historically considerably less diverse than places like California, New York, Florida, Texas, or even Illinois speaks well of his ability to navigate the difficult politics of the issue." Still, Walz's impact on actual immigration policy in a Harris administration could be minimal. As Saúl Sandoval Perea, a professor of economics at CETYS University in Mexico, told Newsweek: "Under a Kamala Harris presidency, the continuity of President Biden's border policies is expected, particularly the partial ban on asylum claims enacted this past June. This policy has contributed to a significant decrease in illegal crossings during 2024." Newsweek has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.