Tim Walz pushed for progressive immigration policies as gov; supports Biden border moves
Vice President Kamala Harris chose a popular politician from a border state as her running mate for the Democratic presidential ticket in November, just not that border.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz emerged as Harris' pick on Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation over whom she would choose from a pack of Democratic leaders mostly from battleground states, including Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
As governor, Walz has led a progressive state government, pushing several immigration priorities through a Democratic-controlled Legislature that expanded state services to undocumented residents.
That includes expanding drivers' licenses in 2023 to all Minnesota residents, regardless of immigration status, joining 20 other U.S. states and territories that also provide drivers' licenses to all residents. The move was expected to benefit approximately 81,000 undocumented immigrants in the state.
"Ensuring drivers in our state are licensed and carry insurance makes the roads safer for all Minnesotans," Walz said at the time.
Additional changes during that legislative session included expanding in-state tuition to all low-income Minnesota students, including undocumented youth. The Legislature also allowed undocumented immigrants to access MinnesotaCare, the state's publicly subsidized health insurance program for low-income residents.
At the federal level, Walz has voiced support for providing Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children, a legal pathway to remain in the United States. As a member of Congress, he criticized many of former President Donald Trump's border and immigration policies. Those criticisms ranged from family separations at the border to the construction of physical barriers.
Border policies: Immigration is a top election issue in the Trump vs. Harris race. Here's what they say
Earlier this year, the Minnesota governor backed an executive action President Joe Biden issued to stem migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. He also supports a bipartisan border agreement, negotiated in part by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. Trump opposed the bill, and it failed to gain traction in Congress.
Walz spoke to CNN earlier this month casting the blame for the bill's failure at Trump.
"My neighbors, whether Republican or Democrats, don't want to demonize our neighbors, they just want a safe border," Walz told Anderson Cooper on AC360 on Aug. 1. "She's (Harris) got a plan, the Lankford-Sinema bill was a big key to it, and Donald Trump doesn't want it. He thrives on chaos."
Reactions to the announcement of Walz as Harris' vice presidential candidate fell along ideological lines among border and immigration advocates.
Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge, who last month endorsed Harris along with several other Arizona border mayors, said picking Walz was good news for border communities.
"Walz understands the needs of border communities and supports common sense solutions that work, like the bipartisan border deal that would’ve made a big difference in Arizona," Budge told The Arizona Republic in a written statement.
The Trump campaign, which has once again made border issues a centerpiece of Trump's candidacy, said Harris' decision to choose Walz as her running mate reinforced their message that she was running a far left and "dangerously liberal" campaign that sought to facilitate migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. They accused Walz of supporting sanctuary city policies.
Chad Wolf, who served as acting Homeland Security secretary under the Trump administration and is now the executive director of the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, said Americans want leaders who will be tough on crime.
"VP Harris and Gov. Walz's record on supporting law enforcement and reducing crime proves they do not prioritize the safeguarding of American communities," he said on X, formerly Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tim Walz pushed for progressive immigration policies as governor
