Vice President Kamala Harris’ newly named running mate is giving former President Donald Trump even more fodder to attack his Democratic rival as being weak on immigration — an issue that’s a top concern for many Americans in this presidential election.
The Trump campaign and Republicans are pointing to several laws that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed last year that open state services and benefits to undocumented immigrants as examples of the Harris-Walz campaign’s “radical left” policies.
“This is a guy who wants to give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens,” JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential hopeful, said of Walz at a campaign stop in Michigan on Wednesday, while stressing that Trump will stop the influx of migrants into the US. “This is a radical human being who comes from the far-left wing of the Democratic Party.”
Early in a news conference on Thursday, Trump slammed Walz on immigration, saying the governor doesn’t want to have borders or any form of safety for the US. His comments followed a video the GOP posted on X showing both Harris and Walz expressing support for sanctuary states and cities, with Walz saying that if the definition of a sanctuary state is that the federal government enforces immigration law and local law enforcement handles local laws, he agrees with it.
The Trump campaign will use Walz, who has implemented an array of progressive policies as governor, as a way to draw even starker contrasts between the candidates and to highlight her perceived vulnerability — that she’s a San Francisco liberal, said John Thomas, a Republican strategist.
“By selecting Walz, it was a tacit endorsement of Walz’s track record and his policy agenda,” Thomas said. “Trump will seek to brand her with Gov. Walz’s liberal track record, particularly on the issue of immigration.”
Asked for comment, a Harris campaign official said that the governor and vice president support the bipartisan border deal — which Republicans blocked in the Senate earlier this year after Trump voiced opposition to the bill — and President Joe Biden’s executive orders, which reduced border crossings.
Immigrant-friendly laws
Aided by a Democratic sweep of the state legislature last year, Walz signed several bills into law that make Minnesota more welcoming to undocumented immigrants.
The Trump campaign has focused on legislation Walz signed last year that allows people in Minnesota to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status, joining other states with similar laws. According to a March 2023 press release from the governor’s office, which noted that there are an estimated 81,000 undocumented immigrants in the state, the measure will increase safety by ensuring that all drivers are licensed and insured.
The legislation moves “us toward our goal of making Minnesota the best state to raise a family for everyone,” Walz said in the release, emphasizing “everyone.”
Undocumented immigrants will also be eligible for MinnesotaCare, which provides health insurance for lower-income residents who don’t qualify for Medicaid, starting in 2025. The measure, which is expected to extend coverage to 40,000 people and cost $109 million through fiscal 2027, was part of the One Minnesota Budget that Walz signed in the spring of 2023.
Plus, undocumented Minnesota residents whose families earn less than $80,000 are eligible for the North Star Promise Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees at two- and four-year public colleges in the state, under a bill Walz signed last year.
Connecting Walz and Harris
Positions like these become vehicles for Trump and the Republican National Committee to go after Harris’ existing record on immigration, said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has bused migrants to northern cities, quickly made the connection, posting on X: “Harris/Walz–the most dangerous P/VP ticket ever.”
“She supports free health care to illegal immigrants. He signed laws giving state services to them,” Abbott posted on Tuesday, the day Harris named Walz her running mate. “Both provide magnets for more illegal immigration.”