Gov. Walz grilled at Congressional hearing on sanctuary states

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Congressional Republicans aimed their sharpest immigration barbs at Gov. Tim Walz and two other Democratic governors Thursday.

Heavyweight bout

Verbal punches:

The highly partisan House Oversight Committee took up the issue of sanctuary states. It's a committee often used by members of both parties to attack enemies.

So Thursday, they spent more than four hours throwing verbal punches.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Oversight Reality TV show," said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, (D-New Mexico.)

"Earlier this year, I launched an investigation into the radical pro-illegal immigration policies of sanctuary jurisdictions," said committee chair Rep Jim. Comer, (R-KY).

Along with Walz, Govs. Kathy Hochul of New York and JB Pritzker of Illinois also took part in the hearing. 

Minnesota isn't a sanctuary state

But not completely cooperative:

Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, but House Republicans, including Minnesota’s Tom Emmer, targeted Walz, ostensibly because of Attorney General Keith Ellison’s memo saying law enforcement could be civilly liable for helping ICE enforce immigration detainers, which require no probable cause and which courts have ruled are not mandatory orders.

"Do you agree with the Attorney General's guidance?" said Rep. Emmer.

"What I would say on this is that Minnesota follows all law," Gov. Walz responded.

Minnesota Democrats criticized Emmer’s approach.

"There’s a mean-spiritedness to that that is intended to push us apart from one another," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, (DFL-St. Paul).

The state’s law enforcement shares the immigration status of convicted felons with Homeland Security and cooperates when ICE has judicial warrants.

But Emmer accused Walz of signing laws too friendly to undocumented immigrants.

"By turning Minnesota into a magnet for illegals, you have opened up our communities to dangerous criminals including known terrorists, gang members, murderers, and child predators," said Emmer.

"When it comes to serious crime, Minnesota has hit its lowest level in over three decades, and we consistently have lower violent crime rates than the U.S. average," said Walz.

It's worth noting that while major cities, like Minneapolis and St. Paul, have sanctuary policies protecting undocumented immigrants.

In recent years, advocates have pushed for the North STAR Act that would prevent state authorities from working with federal immigration enforcement. But, the bill has failed to make it through the legislature.

READ MORE: Minneapolis PD memo tells officers not to assist with immigration enforcement

However, in May, Homeland Security did identify 20 Minnesota counties and cities as "sanctuary jurisdictions."

In April, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky called on Walz to appear at the House hearing, as part of the House's review of sanctuary policies and their impact on public safety.

Local perspective:

Last month, the Trump administration criticized comments by Walz, which compared ICE to the Gestapo, the Nazi police force. A Walz spokesperson responded, pointing out President Trump made similar comparisons just a year earlier, comparing the Biden administration to the Gestapo.

Just last week, a criminal investigation involving ICE agents sparked controversy in Minneapolis. As a federal task force raided a Mexican restaurant at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, a crowd of protesters gathered to thwart what they thought was an ICE raid. The protests ended with activists clashing with law enforcement. This week, FOX 9 learned that the investigation on Lake Street was linked to the discovery of 900 pounds of meth in Burnsville.

Counterattack

Policy flip:

The governors repeatedly shifted the focus to what they see as unpopular Republican policies, including impending Medicaid cuts.

And Walz also tried to flip the sanctuary script as being damaging to the police.

"Last week, a list of supposed sanctuary cities or counties were put out," he said. "Many of those were counties in Minnesota that had gone above and beyond. Their sheriffs said it put them at risk because they were doing that. They were, DOC, they were sharing information and doing what they're supposed to do. It's a coordination issue and..."

"But you said in your answer it's only if they've been convicted of crimes," said Rep. Virginia Fox, (R-NC).

"Or a judicial warrant, that's correct, after due process has been served," Walz added.

Reaction back home

Show and tell:

State Republicans criticized Walz after the hearing.

"While I agree immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, we have local officials, and our Attorney General, using inflammatory rhetoric claiming the goal of immigration enforcement is to 'inflict terror and fear'. This kind of carelessness can cause a re-run of the Minneapolis riots," said Rep. Nolan West, (R-Blaine). "We can clearly see that right now. The buck stops with the Governor. He needs to set the example, and we have yet to see that."

Also after the hearing, members of the governor’s staff repeated that Minnesota is not a sanctuary state.

They said it was clear Republicans just hauled Walz to D.C. to put on a show.

Walz questioned on Gestapo comments

What they're saying:

Several Republican lawmakers ripped into Gov. Walz for his Gestapo comparison during Thursday's hearing.

Some of the most intense questioning came from Rep. Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. He called Walz's comment dangerous for federal officials.

"Inflammatory rhetoric such as yours and the other governors on this panel is responsible for putting a target on the back of every ICE agent who is risking their life to protect our communities," said Rep. Emmer. "Minnesota is all too familiar, by the way, with the chaos that ensues when you refuse to work with law enforcement to enforce the law."

Walz says ICE agents shouldn't wear masks

Dig deeper:

During the hearing, Gov. Walz criticized the practice of ICE agents wearing masks or face covers during raids.

The remark came after more questions about the Gestapo comments. Rep. Pat Fallon called on Walz to apologize for the comments.

"I would ask, don't wear mask," Walz said instead. "Identify who you are, don't pull up in unmarked vehicles, and don't pull people off the streets."

When pressed again, Gov. Walz said, "I used a historical reference…" before being cut off.

Later, Walz said ICE agents wearing masks and failing to properly identify themselves results in confusing situations that put everyone at risk.

"You wear the badge for a reason, you wear the name for a reason," said Gov. Walz. "You make sure that you're coordinated with those other law enforcement agencies that are there. It's a dangerous situation for everyone."

Washington, D.C.Politics