On August 6, 2024, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her Vice Presidential running mate. Walz won the Governor’s mansion in 2018 after serving in Congress for the decade prior. He opposed the Trump administration’s cruel and unworkable proposals and supported long-settled immigrants and welcomed new arrivals. Over the last two years, Walz has led a slim Democratic trifecta in Minnesota to enact a progressive agenda that has benefited working families. It’s a sharp contrast to some other Governors who have spent the last several years gripped by nativist fears and contrived “culture wars.” Or, as Walz has called them, weird.
Walz strikes a sharp contrast to the anti-immigrant GOP weirdos. Here are the five things to know about him and immigration:
Supported Dreamers: Walz has been a vocal supporter of the more than 5,000 DACA recipients who call Minnesota home, stating that Dreamers “are Americans” and that “this is their home.” During his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, he opposed the Trump administration’s effort to end the DACA program and urged then-Speaker Paul Ryan to act on permanent relief for Dreamers and their families. “This moment requires them to put their country and human decency over politics,” Walz said, “and I stand ready to work with them on this issue, as well as comprehensive immigration reform.” Walz said that “deporting Dreamers, who contribute much to our society, harms our economy and our moral fabric.”
Supported the welcoming of new refugees: Minnesota has a long and rich history of welcoming refugee community members, a track record that Walz defended against xenophobic attacks from his Republican gubernatorial opponent in 2022, who claimed that new arrivals were “undercutting” the state. “He’s 100 percent wrong morally, and he’s 100 percent wrong economically and culturally,” Walz said. “Walk down the streets of Worthington, Willmar, Mankato, or St. Paul, and you see that it’s the fabric of our life.” Walz continued: “This myth—and to be very honest it is meant to discredit immigrants—that they are using public services and not paying back is absolutely false. It’s proven by the data that we know that the community pays in and gives far more back than they take out.”
Supported driver’s licenses for all residents regardless of immigration status: Geared by a Democratic trifecta, Walz signed a bill opening driver’s licenses to eligible residents regardless of immigration status. 2023’s Driver’s Licenses for All was supported by legislators, community members, faith and labor leaders, law enforcement, and immigrant advocates due to its wide-reaching benefits, including helping keep families together (immigrants have been deported after being pulled over for something as minor as a broken taillight), boosting the state’s economy through license fees and greater accessibility to workplaces, and making roads safer for all. “Ensuring drivers in our state are licensed and carry insurance makes the roads safer for all Minnesotans,” Walz said. “As a longtime supporter of this bill, I am proud to finally sign it into law, making our roads safer and moving us toward our goal of making Minnesota the best state to raise a family for everyone.”
Opposed the Trump administration’s family separation policy: During his time in the U.S. House, Walz opposed the Trump administration’s inhumane and traumatic family separation policy, which ultimately resulted in the forced separation of more than 5,500 children from their families. Walz cosponsored the Keep Families Together Act, which would have prohibited the federal government from separating children from their families except in extremely limited cases. Family separation “is immoral, it is barbaric. We can do better,” Walz said. “This is not who we are. There are ways to talk about immigration, there are ways to talk about immigration enforcement that keeps true to our values.”
Opposed Trump’s border wall: Walz has been clear just how stupid Trump’s wall has been as a policy proposal. Earlier this year, Walz told CNN, “He talks about this wall, I always say, let me know how high it is. If it is twenty-five feet, then I’ll invest in a thirty-foot ladder factory. That’s not how you stop this.” Walz’s comments on the wall were part of a larger effort to expose Trump as ridiculously unserious about solving the challenges of the broken immigration system. Walz instead called for a balanced approach of both security and a reformed “legal system that allows for that tradition that allows folks to come here just like my relatives did.” But Walz has long pointed out the stupidity of the wall. “I thought President Trump’s military parade idea was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I was wrong. Taking money we could use to give our warriors better pay in order to build his ridiculous wall is way stupider,” Walz wrote in 2018 in reaction to the reports that Trump planned to divert money from the military for the unnecessary wall. While in Congress, Walz again pushed back on the wall boondoggle, saying, “It’s a waste of money.” He continued, “You just gave a tax giveaway, now I’m going to put $18 billion into something I know is not going to work, because he needs to say it?”
