Kamala Harris’s pick as running mate has pushed to turn her home state of Minnesota into a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, giving them lavish benefits, some critics say.
Governor of Minnesota Tim Waltz told CBS in 2018. He said he doesn’t want local law enforcement to hassle them about the immigration status of undocumented immigrants in Minnesota.
“All Minnesotans are safer when local police resources are focused on local crimes and everyone feels comfortable cooperating fully with police,” he told the network. “For example, you will be safer if your neighbor knows that if they witness someone breaking into your house, calling the police will not jeopardize their immigration status.”
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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris and Minnesota’s vice presidential candidate, Governor Tim Walz, attended a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on August 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Walz has also backed several campaigns to provide taxpayer-paid health care, driver’s licenses and free college tuition to undocumented immigrants.
“The cost of every public service is rising, and taxpayer dollars simply can’t cover the burden and overhang of this system,” Minneapolis Republican Party Chairman Shawn Holster told Fox News Digital. “It’s impacting every aspect of life in Minneapolis and across the state of Minnesota.”
“I like to call this ‘managed decline wrapped in a blanket of mercy.’ This is destabilizing every aspect of life in Minnesota. He is the chief executive officer of a sanctuary state and this all happened in coordination with the Minnesota Legislature. This all happened on his watch.”
“This is to pay for social services,” he said, noting that property taxes have increased 30 percent each year for the past three years. Minnesota has the eighth-highest combined property, income and sales tax burden in the country, according to a WalletHub study.
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Sean Holster (Courtesy of Shawn Holster)
Governor Walz, who supports encouraging immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, argued last year that the program would make the state’s roads safer.
“Ensuring that drivers in our state are licensed and insured will make our roads safer for all Minnesotans,” he said after signing a bill allowing everyone to get a license, regardless of immigration status.
But Holster argued that having a driver’s license automatically gives someone the right to vote.
“To me, that’s the most serious part,” he said. “It has implications for future Minnesota elections.”
Holster said Governor Walz’s enthusiastic embrace of immigrants has led to an influx of illegal immigrants into Minnesota.
“We are one of the locations where people are sent after being processed at the border in Texas and Arizona,” he said. “Minnesota is a destination state because we have a lot of social services that are readily available to illegal immigrants.”
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Since Harris announced her selection as Walz’s running mate, she has been criticized by several key Republican leaders for her stance on immigration.
“The most liberal candidate on the presidential race has now chosen a progressive running mate who supports socialism, supports sanctuary cities and wants to give driver’s licenses to the millions of illegal immigrants that Kamala Harris has allowed into our country,” said House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson.
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Holster blamed Minnesota’s tax hikes on misguided spending by Walz.
“I like to call this ‘managed decline wrapped in a blanket of mercy,'” he said. “This is destabilizing every aspect of life in Minnesota. He is the chief executive officer of a sanctuary state, and this all happened in coordination with the Minnesota Legislature. This all happened on his watch.”
Waltz did not respond to a request for comment.
