Kamala Harris' vice presidential pick pushed for his home state of Minnesota to become a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants and lavished them with benefits, one critic says.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told CBS in 2018 that he didn't want local law enforcement hassling illegal Minnesotans about their immigration status.
"All Minnesotans are safer when the limited resources of local law enforcement are focused on local crimes and when everyone feels safe to cooperate fully with the police," he told the network. "For example, if your neighbor witnesses someone breaking into your home, you are safer when your neighbor knows their immigration status is not at risk if they call the police."
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Walz has also backed several campaigns to provide illegal immigrants with taxpayer-funded health care, driver's licenses and free college tuition.
"It’s driving up the cost of every single public service, and there is no way our tax dollars can cover this strain and overage on the system," Minneapolis GOP Chair Shawn Holster told Fox News Digital. "It’s impacting every aspect of life in Minneapolis and Minnesota at large."
He said his property taxes have gone up by 30% every year for the last three years: "This is to accommodate these social services," he added. A WalletHub survey found that Minnesota has the eighth-highest combined property, income and sales tax burden in the country.
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In backing the driver's license push for migrants, Walz argued last year that it would make the state's roads safer.
"Ensuring drivers in our state are licensed and carry insurance makes the roads safer for all Minnesotans," he said after signing the legislation that made licenses available to all regardless of their immigration status.
But Holster argued that acquiring a driver's license automatically confers the right to vote.
"That to me is the most serious part," he said. "That influences Minnesota elections going forward."
Thanks largely to Walz's enthusiastic unfurling of the migratory welcome mat, illegal immigrants have been flocking to Minnesota, Holster said.
"We are one of the locations where people are transported to when they are processed at the border down in Texas or Arizona," he said. "Minnesota is a destination because of the abundance of social services immediately available to illegal immigrants."
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Walz's immigration stances have been hit by several key GOP leaders since Harris announced his selection as her running mate.
"The most liberal nominee to ever appear on a presidential ballot has now chosen a progressive running mate who has voiced support for socialism, supports sanctuary cities and wants to give driver's licenses to the millions of illegal aliens Kamala Harris has allowed into our country," said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Holster attributed tax hikes in Minnesota to what he deemed Walz's misplaced largesse.
"I like to call it ‘managed decline wrapped in a blanket of benevolence,’" he said. "It’s a destabilization of every aspect of life in Minnesota. He’s the chief administrator of a sanctuary state, and this all happened in coordination with the Minnesota legislature. This all happened under his watch."
Walz did not respond to requests for comment.
