Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, a former Democratic vice presidential candidate, used a state speech on Wednesday to criticize President Donald Trump and his administration for moving out to deport illegal immigrants, including suspected gangs and terrorist sympathizers.
“The President also chose this, and emphasized this to tear the value that once made America a glorious light in the world. In the land of brave freedom and homes, university students are swept and shoved into unmarked vans, and fathers are thrown into Salvador’s glags, without a legitimate process.”
“I really want to be clear about this. If you say you love freedom, then if you don’t believe freedom is for everyone, what you love is not freedom, and not a privilege,” the governor said.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz will give a state speech on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, prior to a joint session of the legislative session at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)
Walz appeared to be indirectly referring to the case of Kilmer Abrego Garcia. This cites suspicions of MS-13 members suspected of illegal immigration of MS-13, which the administration has newly designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The administration has admitted to mistakenly deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, but Trump and federal officials have doubled Abrego Garcia’s relationship with violent Mexican gangs and doubling domestic violence cases claiming his wife had beaten her.
Abrego Garcia was initially suspected of human smuggling during a traffic stop in Tennessee in 2022, but was not charged. Meanwhile, Democrats who classify Abrego Garcia as “Father of Maryland” have traveled to El Salvador to visit him, urging him to comply with orders from the Supreme Court and other courts, urging him to direct him to be returned to the United States.
Abrego Garcia was originally held at MegaPrison, El Salvador, known as the Centre for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), but was later transferred to the Security Centro Industrial Prison Facility in Santa Ana, El Salvador. In a court application, the State Department said he would remain detained there “in good condition and in excellent health.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz will speak at a Des Moines, Iowa City Hall event. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney, File)
The Waltz also appeared to encourage how federal immigration authorities detained foreign students whose visas had been withdrawn by the Trump administration as they allegedly organized anti-Israel demonstrations on U.S. university campuses.
Although Waltz didn’t mention anyone by name, another group of House Democrats traveled to Louisiana detention facilities, a fifth-year doctoral student at Tufts University.
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The Democratic governor also took a jab at Elon Musk and the government’s efficiency, claiming the Trump administration was trying to take Medicaid compensation.
Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz acknowledged the House Chamber of Commerce applause before giving a state speech before a joint session of the Legislature at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)
“We cannot point out that we also gather at a moment of great uncertainty for our country, and to be honest, this uncertainty, this confusion is not a coincidence,” Waltz said. “The US president was chosen to destroy the federal government’s ability to help people. He literally hired the wealthiest man in the world and hired a chainsaw to the basic services Minnesotan relies on to build a better life.
Kamala Harris’ former running buddy also denounced Trump for his mutual tariff policies, claiming that the Republican president has not had contact with working-class Americans.
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“And every hour, every day, the US president chose to smash our economy into chaos,” Waltz said. “The global market is making the brink of collapse sound. The country and companies here in Minnesota have already fired thousands of employees. Workers are paying more for basic products. If you haven’t checked 401K recently, you won’t do that. His mouth makes it clear that he’s revealed how the world works for people who actually work.”
