Gov. Walz testifies in front of U.S. House as ‘sanctuary state’

WASHINGTON D.C. (Northern News Now) - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was one of three governors called to testify in front of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Thursday.

He, along with the governors of Illinois and New York, were backing their policies as a “sanctuary state.” The term defines a state with policies in place limiting its cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The hearing is part of President Trump’s goal to find and crack down on states and cities not complying with his immigration agenda.

He signed an executive order that could cut funds or contracts in these jurisdictions.

Walz opened his testimony claiming Minnesota has zero policies that would qualify it as a sanctuary state.

“When there is a convicted felon in our prisons, we ask about their immigration status and share that information with the Department of Homeland Security,” said Walz. “We also cooperate with Department of Homeland Security requests when there is a judicial warrant and when due process of our constitution has been served.”

He added it is not the local or state government’s role to carry out federal immigration laws.

“We have a job to do on limited resources and equating that not doing ICE’s job means not cooperating, we’re patrolling our highways,” said Walz. “I’m proud Minnesota’s the state third lowest in traffic deaths. If we start doing all the things for ICE and nothing we do precludes them from doing their job.”

Minnesota’s U.S. Congressman Rep. Tom Emmer (R-06), directly contested Walz’s claims of not being a sanctuary state.

He listed contradicting bills like the Health and Human Services and Higher Education omnibus bills from 2023 Walz signed into law.

“You claim you’re not a sanctuary state, you just provide free healthcare, free college and drivers licenses to illegal aliens,” said Emmer.

Emmer was also one of several congressmen to ask Walz about his comparison of ICE to “modern-day Gestapo” during his speech at the University of Minnesota Law School’s commencement this year.

Gestapo is the name for secret Nazi police.

“Given the attacks on ICE agents that took place in Los Angeles over the weekend, don’t you regard your dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric as a problem?” said Emmer.

Walz responded to these questions by saying ICE’s tactics like wearing masks while taking people off the street is not safe for their targets or the agents and encourages criminal behavior.

When asked how to to reverse the polarization in the nation, Walz used the Minnesota legislature’s recent bipartisan passing of the budget during the special session as an example.

In the budget, the state legislature removed undocumented immigrant adults from a state health care coverage program.

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