Tim Walz Progressive Agenda Included Giving Driver’s Licenses, Free Tuition to Illegal Immigrants

Vice President Kamala Harris’s newly-selected running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, was chosen as a nod to the far-left wing of her party – and his record on immigration is a prime example of just how progressive he is.

Since becoming governor in 2019, he has signed off on legislation to give numerous privileges to illegal immigrants, including access to state-funded health care and free college tuition.

He also approved legislation in 2023 to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

“Ensuring drivers in our state are licensed and carry insurance makes the roads safer for all Minnesotans,” Walz said at the time.

Walz, who spent a decade serving in the House of Representatives, voted for stricter screening of refugees during his time in Congress. However, the 60-year-old lawmaker’s positions on the issue of immigration have veered further left since becoming governor.

While running for reelection in 2022, he criticized Republican opponent Scott Jensen for saying that allowing immigrants without sufficient resources into the state would threaten “Minnesota’s fabric of life.”

“He’s 100 percent wrong morally, and he’s 100 percent wrong economically and culturally,” Walz said.

During his gubernatorial campaign in 2018, Walz called for Minnesota to become a sanctuary state.

“My position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state boils down to who has the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws,” Walz said at the time.

“Here’s what I believe: Congress has given federal agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws in Minnesota, and I support their doing so,” he added. “Congress has not given local law enforcement that same authority. The role of law enforcement is to enforce state and local laws, not federal immigration laws, and I strongly believe that they should not do so.”

In 2021, Walz sent a letter to Congress endorsing a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants, including individuals who came to the country as children, essential workers, people whose native countries are in crisis, and families of those immigrants.

Walz also strongly opposed former president Donald Trump’s border wall, calling it “ridiculous.”

“I always say, ‘Let me know how high it is.’ If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in a 30-foot-ladder factory. That’s not how you stop this,” Walz said of the plans for a border wall.

Harris, meanwhile, has her own controversial record on immigration; she once compared Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the KKK. She has come under fire over the Biden administration’s failure to secure the U.S. southern border, as President Biden placed her in charge of addressing the root causes of the migrant crisis.

That Harris selected Walz as her running mate came as a surprise to many, as Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro was believed to be the front runner in the veepstakes. Harris’s pick signals she is hoping to hold onto the more progressive faction of her party while she moderates her policy stances to appeal to a broader voting base.

Progressive “Squad” members Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman celebrated Harris’s selection on Tuesday.