Gov. Tim Walz, who was announced this week as Harris’ running mate, has previously pushed for broad amnesty for illegal immigrants, echoing Harris’ views and suggesting such a move could be a priority for a future Harris administration.
Walz wrote letters to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. August 2021, As part of a potential budget reconciliation bill, he is working to open a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, including those who have escaped deportation and those who came to the U.S. as minors.
“As you finalize your budget reconciliation bill, we urge you to prioritize a clean path to citizenship for essential workers, Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and their families,” the letter said.
As governor, Walz supports ‘sanctuary’ policies and services for illegal immigrants: ‘A victory for open borders’
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta on July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
“Immigrant youth and TPS recipients live, work, learn, worship and are part of our communities, and they are also parents, spouses, siblings and neighbors to hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens. Many of them are essential workers helping us get through the pandemic, and our country owes them a debt of gratitude.”
“Dreamers and TPS recipients have enriched and strengthened Minnesota’s cities, schools, businesses, churches, and families, and we believe it is a moral imperative that Republicans and Democrats work together in Congress to enact bipartisan legislation that will permanently protect these people and end their fears and fears.”
The statement echoes that of Senator Harris, who has supported comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would give millions of undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship on the first day of the Biden Administration and provide an estimated 11 million people with an eight-year path to citizenship.
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Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is greeted by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, before speaking at a campaign event on August 7, 2024 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The bill was ultimately not adopted due to Republican opposition amid a deepening crisis on the southern border.
But the administration and Harris have continued to voice their support for the bill.
“From day one of this administration, our first bill was to provide meaningful ways to improve our immigration system, including a pathway to citizenship, preventing family separations and taking care of Dreamers. And, of course, that didn’t get addressed,” Harris said in June.
“We need Congress to act and do what we know is necessary to put adequate resources on the border and create a meaningful pathway to citizenship,” she later said.
Harris has focused this year on a bipartisan Senate bill that would bolster border resources and give the U.S. the ability to limit immigration if there are too many people crossing the border, but which does not include a path to citizenship.
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Since becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris’ campaign has focused on efforts to increase funding for border patrol and to crack down on drug smugglers as a prosecutor.
“As president, she would hire thousands more Border Patrol agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is hard. And so is Kamala Harris,” says a new ad released this week.
Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
