13-06-2025
Walz fends off GOP attacks over ICE, ‘Gestapo' remark, immigration in fiery D.C. hearing
Walz fends off GOP attacks over ICE, 'Gestapo' remark, immigration in fiery D.C. hearing originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
Alongside Democratic Governors J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Kathy Hochul of New York, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared in an hours-long hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, focused on states with sanctuary policies.
The hearing was led by Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who has accused the Democratic governors of running states with sanctuary policies that "shield criminal illegal aliens from immigration enforcement."
In his opening remarks, Walz said, 'We have a broken immigration system in this country. I think everyone in this room agrees with that, but nothing Minnesota has done to serve its own people stands in the way of the federal government managing border security and policies.'
He went on to say Minnesota cooperates with federal authorities in a number of ways, but that enforcing immigration law is not the role of local and state governments. He also noted that Minnesota is not a sanctuary state and that he supports illegal immigration enforcement so long as "due process" is provided to everyone.
Minnesota is not a sanctuary state by definition, which would require a state law prohibiting law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Minneapolis, however, is a known sanctuary city, and the Department of Homeland Security has identified 20 sanctuary jurisdictions across Minnesota, including Anoka, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Wright counties. Minnesota does have several statewide policies in place, such as Driver's License For All and free college tuition for undocumented students.
Several Republican representatives lashed out at Walz over comments he made during the University of Minnesota Law School's graduation ceremony in May, when he said 'Donald Trump's modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets.'
At one point during the hearing, Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer demanded an apology from Walz to all ICE agents for the remarks, calling his rhetoric 'dangerous and inflammatory" and saying it put a 'target on the backs' of immigration officials.
"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?" Emmer said.
During a portion of his testimony, Walz was critical of ICE agents wearing masks while on duty, calling it a 'dangerous situation for everyone."
"You wear the badge for a reason, you wear the name for a reason. You make sure that you're coordinated with those other law enforcement agencies that are there,' he said.
Walz was also criticized by Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) for a past comment he made on CNN about investing in a "30-foot ladder factory" to help unauthorized immigrants over Trump's border wall. Walz responded to the criticism by asking, "When did I say that?"
The theatrics continued when Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) attempted to bury Walz for five minutes. She mocked Walz's ability to answer 'yes' or 'no' questions, mocked him when he said he never spoke with Kamala Harris about former President Joe Biden's "cognitive decline," and asked if he's "still friends with school shooters" — a clear attack on a comment that Walz made during a debate last year and later said he "misspoke."
The hearing began at 9 a.m. CST and lasted the entire day.
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
