Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Democrat), who was chosen as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, has previously said he “strongly” supports “significant reform” to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agencies responsible for arresting, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants.
In 2018, Democrats supported the “Abolish ICE” movement, which aimed to abolish the federal agency and ultimately stop arresting and deporting illegal immigrants. The bill at the time: was suggested The bill, introduced by a handful of House Democrats, signaled support for eliminating ICE’s mandate to enforce federal immigration law.
Walz, then a Minnesota congressman, had never publicly rejected the movement to abolish ICE, but told the Minnesota Post in July 2018 that he wanted to reform the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
Minnesota Post report:
Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat running for governor in the 1st District, said he supports an independent investigation into the Trump administration’s immigration policies but does not support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “When it comes to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs Enforcement, I am a strong supporter. Holding the government accountable “To reform these institutions substantially and ensure that our sacred values of freedom and democracy are upheld.” he said in a statement. [Emphasis added]
This comes less than two weeks after Walz said he wanted to make major reforms to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which are responsible for federal immigration enforcement. Did not vote Regarding the House resolution opposing the movement to abolish ICE.
Walz did not vote for this resolution. stated:
Abolishing ICE would mean opening the borders Because there will be no primary agency responsible for deporting people who enter or remain in our country illegally. [Emphasis added]
…
Abolishing ICE would allow dangerous criminal aliens to enter the country, Including members of the violent and ruthless MS-13 gang. Stay in the American community; [Emphasis added]
Walz’s statements and inaction against the movement to abolish ICE are similar to those of Harris, who told MSNBC in June 2018 that she wanted to “critically” review the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
From Joe Biden’s first day in office, we have witnessed the devastating damage caused by his relentless efforts to dismantle immigration enforcement in the country.
Kamala Harris goes a step further and actually wants to abolish ICE.pic.twitter.com/4ySBDEIWJ2
— National Immigration Enforcement Center (@NICEnforcement) July 21, 2024
“I think there’s definitely a need to critically reexamine ICE and its role, how it operates and what it does, and we’re going to have to think about starting from scratch because there are a lot of problems with how ICE operates that need to be addressed,” Harris said, adding that ICE’s “mission is very much in question and it needs to be reexamined.”
Harris and Walz’s proposed goal of moving the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement away from enforcing federal immigration law has been at least partially implemented by President Joe Biden’s administration, department data shows.
Former President Donald Trump oversaw the deportation of nearly 1 million illegal immigrants from the U.S., but Biden and Harris’ Department of Homeland Security has cut those deportations by more than half, according to ICE data collected by the National Center for Immigration Enforcement (NICE).
“A vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is a vote to abolish ICE and dismantle our nation’s immigration enforcement,” NICE President RJ Howman told Breitbart News. “The detention and deportation of illegal immigrants will soon become obsolete.”
Biden and Harris’ Department of Homeland Security has nearly tripled ICE’s so-called “non-detainer list.” Immigrants on ICE’s non-detainer list are known to the department but are allowed to live anywhere in the U.S. while they await their deportation hearings.
The ICE no-detention list is a key tool for left-wing activists and Democrats because it is used to ensure that the vast majority of migrants arriving at the southern border are not detained or monitored through the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP).
By the end of the year, more than 8 million immigrants are expected to be on ICE’s non-detainer list, living freely across the United States, most unsupervised.
Meanwhile, only about 38,000 immigrants were in ICE custody as of last month.
“The American people will not be fooled by Kamala’s silence or the media’s portrayal of Walz as a moderate Rust Belt Democrat who fights for the underdog,” Howman said. “He has aligned himself with open border extremists throughout his presidency and will only intensify his role as governor of Minnesota.”
As Governor of Minnesota, Walz wants to attract illegal immigrants to the state. He has already signed bills that would extend taxpayer-funded Medicaid to illegal immigrants, provide tuition-free in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants, and give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses, and he is now backing a plan to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter. here.
