What to expect as Walz testifies at GOP-led hearing on immigration, sanctuary policies
What to expect as Walz testifies at GOP-led hearing on immigration, sanctuary policies originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
Minnesota's Tim Walz is one of three United States governors who will be questioned Thursday at a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The event, dubbed "A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors," will feature Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The chairman of the committee, James Comer (R-Kentucky), has accused the Democratic governors of running states with sanctuary policies that "shield criminal illegal aliens from immigration enforcement."
The hearing comes at a time of civil unrest in the country, namely in Los Angeles, following a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have led to President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard and Marines to California.
Locally, a Mexican restaurant in south Minneapolis was the subject of an ICE raid earlier this month that drew a crowd of protestors, some of whom became unruly. Local and federal officials have since confirmed ICE was not conducting a deportation raid but rather carrying out search warrants related to a large-scale drug and money laundering investigation.
The series of raids included the seizure of 900 pounds of methamphetamine — valued between $22 and $25 million — at a storage unit in Burnsville. However, the action in south Minneapolis was criticized by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who said federal officials failed to notify MPD of the raid until it was already underway.
The Minneapolis Police Department has since sent a memo to its officers as a reminder that they are not allowed to respond or assist in any "immigration enforcement-related activity," nor can they "assist with crowd control at an immigration enforcement related activity."
The aforementioned MPD policy appears to meet the standard for what has drawn the ire of Comer, who will be joined on Thursday's panel by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), and Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), all of whom are conservatives with a history of backing Trump policies.
'Sanctuary policies only provide sanctuaries for criminal illegal aliens," Comer said in a statement announcing Thursday's hearing. "The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable."
MinnPost referred to Comer as "a Trump loyalist and political attack dog who is weighing a run for governor."
Walz has not publicly commented ahead of the hearing, but spokesperson Teddy Schann said in an emailed statement that 'Governor Walz is happy to work with Congress, but since Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, one can't help but wonder if this is, perhaps, politically motivated."
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, as noted by the aforementioned MPD policy.
According to the Star Tribune, GOP Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, will also attend the hearing and plans to question Walz. On his Facebook page, Stauber wrote that "Minnesota has become a magnet for illegal immigrants" under Walz.
It's unclear how many undocumented immigrants live in Minnesota. The latest data from the PEW Research Center goes back to 2022, when Minnesota had an estimated 75,000 to 175,000 undocumented immigrants. California led the nation with an estimated 1.8 million, while Texas (1.6 million), Florida (1.2 million), New York (650,000), New Jersey (475,000), and Illinois (400,000) rounded out the next five largest populations.
Trump announced a travel ban on June 5 that restricts people from a dozen countries from entering the U.S., with Somalia joined by Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen.
Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the U.S., with more than 85,000 residents of Somali descent currently living in the state. The federal ban has been criticized by Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who herself is a refugee from Somalia, calling Trump's ban racist and "a stain on our country."
'Because of this decision, our country will lose out on incredible contributions that people from these countries would've otherwise made to our neighborhoods and our society," Omar said. 'For some Americans, it will mean their fiancés, or spouses or children will be banned from reuniting with them here."
As for Walz, this isn't the first time Comer has set his sights on the Minnesota governor. In August 2024, after Walz was named as then-Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Comer urged the FBI to investigate Walz regarding his relationship with China.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT on Thursday, and you can watch it live here.
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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