Rep Tom Emmer SHREDS Gov Tim Walz in House hearing over claims Minnesota isn't a sanctuary state

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was sharply criticized by Rep. Tom Emmer during a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee meeting on Thursday on sanctuary policies, with Emmer saying that Walz has "failed to uphold our national sovereignty, and most importantly, you have failed the people of Minnesota."

Emmer noted steps that Walz has taken to increase protections and offerings for illegal immigrants in the state, including free healthcare, college tuition paid for by the state, and driver’s licenses. "So you claim you’re not a sanctuary state. You just provide free healthcare, free college, and driver’s licenses to illegal aliens."

"One reason you're here testifying before us today is because you refuse to cooperate with ICE. While states like Florida and Virginia empower their law enforcement to detain and remove criminal illegal aliens, you, sir, have done just the opposite. Your Attorney General is directing law enforcement to ignore ICE Immigration detainers. Do you agree with the Attorney General's guidance," Emmer asked.

Walz claimed that Minnesota "follows all law."

Emmer said, "If you claim you're not a sanctuary state, you just, I guess you just claim that you support policies, you're not a sanctuary state, but you support policies that prevent ICE from doing their job. Isn’t that right?"

Walz replied, "We follow the same laws" as when Emmer served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, "The law has not changed, sir."

Emmer noted that in May 2018, Walz posted to social media, "I support policies that keep law enforcement from enforcing federal laws," and that in a May 2025 speech at the University of Minnesota Law School’s graduation ceremony, Walz said that "Donald Trump’s modern day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets."

"When you said the words 'modern day Gestapo,' you were referring to ICE agents. Gestapo, by the way, sir, was the official secret police of Hitler's Nazi Germany. So you're calling ICE agents modern day Nazis. 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?"

"So, sir, it saddens me that you refuse to express regret from comparing [ICE] to Nazis," Emmer continued, later adding, "You at the very least, owe an apology to these dedicated public servants."

Emmer said that the "inflammatory rhetoric" from Walz and others "is responsible for putting a target on the back of every ICE agent who is risking their life to protect our communities."

He said that the state of Minnesota is "is all too familiar, by the way, with the chaos that ensues when you refuse to work with law enforcement to enforce the law," noting the chaos and violence that happened in the wake of George Floyd’s death and Walz’s refusal to bring in the National Guard.

"Governor, your agenda is clear, free healthcare, free college, and driver's licenses for illegals while handcuffing law enforcement when they're trying to protect our citizens and their communities. If you think that's not a sanctuary state, you shouldn't be governor."

Emmer said that by turning the state "into a magnet for illegals," Walz has "opened up our communities to dangerous criminals, including known terrorists, gang members, murderers and child predators," and has sent the message that "if you're a hard, working, law abiding citizen of Minnesota, your safety and well-being are not the priorities of Tim Walz and his administration, but if you're coming to our state illegally, you're not only welcome with open arms, you're entitled to free stuff on the taxpayers dime."

"This is absolutely disgraceful, Governor Walz, your sanctuary state agenda has been defined by your utter failure. You have failed to enforce the rule of law. You have failed to uphold our national sovereignty, and most importantly, you have failed the people of Minnesota. The time for radical sanctuary state policy, sir, is over. The voters made that clear last November when they elected President Trump and Vice President JD Vance."