'Do You Find A Difference Between An Immigrant And An Illegal Immigrant?': Burchett Grills Walz

Forbes Breaking News

At today's House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) grilled Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Governor Walts, you said that as long as you are governor,

00:06immigrants will be welcome in Minnesota. Do you find a difference between an immigrant and an

00:10illegal immigrant? A difference? Their status? Is there a difference? Legal status or otherwise?

00:22Well, the legal status is different, but in Minnesota we have a long tradition of welcoming.

00:26Okay. ICE in St. Paul arrested a criminal illegal alien who had been convicted for possession of

00:33child pornography on a work computer. Do you still stand by your statement that ICE agents are the

00:40modern-day Gestapo? ICE agents need to do a job, but they need to do it within the realm of due process

00:48and the law. Wearing masks, no notice of who they are, no notice of the vans, and picking people up

00:54off the streets without that due process. I stand that that is wrong in a road towards

00:58authoritarianism. I certainly stand by that.

01:01You know, I have one rule, and I have a couple rules in my office, but one of them is never compare

01:06anything dealing with the Holocaust except for the Holocaust. I think that it desensitizes people

01:12about what really went on in Nazi Germany by making any comparisons there. Does Minnesota receive

01:20federal tax dollars for any programs that assist illegal immigrants?

01:27Minnesota's federal tax dollars are appropriated by you in Congress, and then we use state dollars

01:34under our laws.

01:37During the Biden administration, nearly $1.5 billion was sent to sanctuary states to pay for their

01:42illegal immigration policies, housing, and health care. Governor Hochul, are crimes committed

01:49by illegal aliens preventable, in your opinion?

01:55Our law enforcement is highly trained in how to identify prospective perpetrators, but certainly

02:00we try to prevent crimes, and we also work to resolve them and make sure that if there's

02:05a crime committed that people find their time in court and are incarcerated. That's how it's

02:10always worked.

02:11By definition, our illegal aliens are unlawfully present in the United States. They should not be

02:17here in the first place to commit crimes. Don't you agree with that?

02:21It depends on the circumstances of coming over. I mean, there's civil violations. There's also

02:26criminals, so it's the federal government's determination on the status of an individual.

02:29If they're prosecuted...

02:30But I mean, if they're not here, the crime's not going to be committed.

02:34I think if there was not...

02:35If they're not going to be here, ma'am, the crime is not going to be committed.

02:38If there was no one in our country who crimes would be committed, I suppose you could say the

02:41same thing.

02:43A young man in my district whose family is very close to me lost their son to an illegal alien,

02:48and I can guarantee you if that illegal alien, if we'd followed the laws of the land,

02:54and there'd been some enforcement, that that young man would be here today. Well, let me ask

02:59you this. Why did your state

03:00issue that you are... say that you are welcome with open arms in reference to illegal aliens?

03:09That was a direct quote attributed to you, ma'am.

03:12It's a long... it's a 400-year history we have in the state of New York of wealth-giving all.

03:17I don't know why we would change that now.

03:19Okay. Governor Pritzker, you mentioned in your opening statement that criminals have no place

03:24in our country, but Cook County released numerous criminal migrants last year, including one

03:29that was charged with raping a minor. Why would you release a criminal rapist back into your

03:34community?

03:38Thank you, Congressman. First of all, we don't need to release somebody if ICE or another law

03:46enforcement authority shows up with a judicial warrant, and that's just the fact. And if somebody

03:52gets released, it's usually because they've had due process and determined not to be eligible

03:57to be held. That's...

03:58Okay. But do you know what happened after that individual was released?

04:03I don't, but again, a judicial warrant, if appropriate...

04:06I'll tell you, 17 days later, he was charged with a homicide. And in Cook County, he also released

04:12a migrant charged with domestic violence in August of 2024. Do you know what this individual

04:17was charged with one month later?

04:23No, sir. I'm not sure what...

04:24Aggravated criminal sexual assault and abuse of minor.

04:27And as governor, you have done... Have you done anything to ensure local and county governments

04:32aren't releasing illegal immigrants charged with sexual or violent crimes?

04:36As a matter of fact, we... First of all, we chase down criminals every single day. We put

04:40them in jail. We try them, put them through due process. They get convicted. They get put

04:46into our correction system. We do that every single day. You're implying that we're not...

04:52We are. In fact, our law enforcement are some of the best in the country. They do their job.

04:58Well, if these laws were enforced, then I would assume these people wouldn't be back out

05:01on the streets so freely. How many programs does Illinois have that explicitly supports illegal immigrants?

05:11Sir, we've created programs to deal with not illegal... I mean, we have one program that's

05:16related to undocumented people who are the most vulnerable.

05:20I'm out of time, but the answer is at least four.

05:23For Health Benefits for Immigrants, HBIS, Health Benefits for Immigrants, Adults, HBI, Retention

05:31of Illinois Students, and Equity, RISE is the acronym for that act, and the Illinois Dream Fund.

05:37And I'm sorry I'm out of time, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

05:40Mr. Chairman, I'd like to finish the title of the article that I was trying to read into unanimous consent.

05:46Mr. Chairman. Okay.

05:53Wait.

05:54Are you it?

05:58Is that correct?

05:59Remember?

06:00Is that correct.

06:02I'm sure you have it in your mind.

06:04I have no time.

06:05I was speaking to you even a minute.

06:07Remember?

06:08I don't even opinions about it.

06:09Madam, isn't it wrong at all.

06:10No, we don't act that way.

06:11I feel valuable at all.

06:12If nothing is a mistake, can get a affair.

06:13And now, let's find a weakness at all,

06:13we should get annoyed at all that line

06:14and let's look at the original line.

Category

Transcript

Recommended