EXCLUSIVE: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is reaffirming his support for the Biden administration’s handling of immigration and the border on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign told Fox News Digital, “Governor Walz supports the bipartisan border deal and the Biden-Harris administration’s executive actions on the border that brought border crossings to the lowest level in 4 years.”
Walz has previously signaled his approval of the bipartisan border deal struck earlier this year by Senate negotiators, but the campaign’s comments to Fox News Digital mark the first time he’s taken that stance since being tapped as Harris’ running mate earlier on Tuesday.
“Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us,” Walz, a former teacher, wrote on X.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been chosen to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Walz’s own handling of the border crisis’ effects on his state are already the subject of GOP scrutiny.
He appeared to signal support for “sanctuary” policies in Minnesota during an interview with CBS News in 2018, telling the outlet, “Congress has given federal agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws in Minnesota, and I support their doing so. 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.”
Republicans have also hammered Walz for enacting policies allowing undocumented migrants to get driver’s licenses and state-funded healthcare plans.
The campaign’s promotion of Walz’s support for stricter border policies is a sign that Democrats will take a more active stance on the issue — traditionally a favorite political cudgel of the GOP — this election cycle.
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Sen. James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, was instrumental in conjuring the bipartisan Senate border deal. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The bipartisan border deal was the product of monthslong discussions led by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and James Lankford, R-Okla.
Within days of its production, however, the legislation was rejected by a majority of House and Senate Republicans who argued it did not go far enough in cracking down on the migrant crisis. They said it would only serve to codify the Biden administration’s progressive border policies.
Walz, like most Democrats at the time, accused Republicans of acting on the wishes of former President Trump – who was publicly opposed to the deal.
“Donald Trump sunk the bipartisan border security bill so he could run on the issue. He’d rather play politics for his benefit than secure our border. Kamala Harris will make sure we pass the damn thing,” Walz said last week on CNN.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has taken up President Biden’s mantle for the 2024 race. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
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The campaign’s Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital suggests Walz is also in favor of Biden’s executive orders on the border, including his June proclamation shutting down migration between ports of entry during periods when the seven-day average encounters in those sectors exceeds 2,500.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), that order was “helping reduce the number of encounters at our Southwest Border by 55%” and that the number of encounters over a seven-day average period ”has decreased to below 1,800 encounters per day.” The southwestern border has seen a historic number of migrant encounters for a significant amount of Biden’s term so far, however.
Biden’s order was also panned by some of his most progressive allies, however, including Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán.