Tim Walz Issues Fiery Rebuke Against Trump At House Hearing For 'Sanctuary State'

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At today's House Oversight Committee hearing, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) delivered his opening statement.

Transcript

00:00Waltz for his opening statement. Thank you Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lynch, and

00:05members of the committee. I'm proud to be here today as the governor of the great

00:08state of Minnesota. Wherever you go in this country people tend to want the

00:12same basic things. Safe neighborhoods, affordable household goods, meaningful

00:17work, good schools. That's what my administration has worked to ensure for

00:21our people and that's what we've delivered. Under our leadership, Minnesota

00:25has been ranked the fourth best state to live in. The second best state to raise

00:29a family in and the third best state for jobs. When it comes to serious crime

00:33Minnesota has hit its lowest level in over three decades and we consistently

00:38have lower violent crime rates than the US average. Now we have a broken

00:42immigration system in this country. I think everyone in this room agrees with

00:47that. But nothing Minnesota has done to serve its own people stands in the way

00:52of the federal government managing border security and policies. While you've

00:56convened this hearing to explore the issue of so-called sanctuary states, Minnesota

01:00is not even a sanctuary state. Minnesota legislature has passed no such bill making

01:05Minnesota sanctuary state and I have signed no such law. Minnesota cooperates with

01:09federal authorities in a number of ways. When there's a convicted felon in our

01:13prisons, we ask about their immigration status and share that information with

01:17the Department of Homeland Security. We also cooperate with Homeland Security

01:20requests when there's a judicial warrant and when due process has been afforded by our

01:24Constitution has been served. But enforcing immigration law is not the role of local

01:31and state governments. The fact is Congress has given federal agencies the

01:35authority to enforce immigration laws across this country. That includes

01:40Minnesota and I support them doing so. It's the federal government's job to secure

01:45the border. That's why when I was in Congress I visited the southern border and

01:50voted for bills that would have increased funding for Border Patrol, made it easier

01:55to hire qualified agents, and deployed advanced technologies to the border. Most

02:00importantly, I recognize that securing our border does not mean we sacrifice our

02:05constitutional values. Unfortunately, the cruel and misguided policies of this

02:10current administration fail to live up to those values. Minnesotans are angry with

02:16what they've seen happen to their neighbors. They're angry that the federal

02:19government has been snatching people up, putting them in prison, and deporting

02:24them without a shred of due process. There's been no notice, no meaningful

02:30opportunity to object, and according to the president, no way to get out of these

02:33overseas prisons once you end up there. And let's be clear, many of these are law

02:38abiding Americans, people who have been granted asylum or promised protected

02:43status. In many cases, it seems these people reported not based on a criminal

02:47behavior, but how they looked or what they've said and being in the wrong place

02:51at the wrong time. Even US citizens, like a four-year-old boy with cancer, sent to

02:56Mexico, away from his father, away from the medical needs, to a country he was not

03:01born in or had never been to. Americans deserve a sensible, humane, and effective

03:07immigration policy that reduces illegal immigration while protecting

03:11fundamental rights. Meanwhile, the administration continues to make life

03:14works for hard-working Americans in a lot of other ways, trying to slash

03:18Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, making basic household goods more

03:22expensive, and telling people they just need to do much with more with less. The

03:26American people deserve better. You all have the power to legislate, to

03:30investigate this administration's abuse and overreach, and protect the American

03:33people. And I have to say I'm disappointed at a crucial inflection point in

03:37our nation's history. Congress is choosing to spend its time trying to

03:40cast blames on states like Minnesota that have no hand in creating this

03:44crisis. While we may disagree on the best way to maintain border security and

03:48public safety, I know we should all be able to agree on a few principles. That

03:52everyone in America deserves due process, and that we live in a free country where

03:58people should not be locked up for exercising their basic constitutional

04:02rights. I hope you'll join me in enforcing accountability to those

04:05fundamental ideas, and I look forward to your questions. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.

04:10He has taken a chance to raise nice principles here, and if you don't write

04:12with many people. But here in this comment but look, the

04:15thing I see here, some people fighting in希IN, must be really

04:18great. Well thank you.

04:19So thank you.

04:21We'll be back, Mr. Chairman.

04:22Thank you, Mr. King sådanian.

04:24Mr. Horv at you.

04:32� Kキ inland.

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