Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, chosen as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate for the 2024 election, has publicly declared his support for the Biden administration’s handling of immigration and the border. A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign stated, “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.” This statement marks a significant shift for Walz, who has previously expressed his approval of the bipartisan border deal but hadn’t explicitly endorsed it since becoming Harris’ running mate.
Walz’s own stance on border issues has come under scrutiny from Republicans, who have criticized his previous support for “sanctuary” policies in Minnesota. However, the campaign’s recent statement indicates a more active stance on border security from Democrats. The bipartisan border deal, a product of months of negotiations led by Senators Kyrsten Sinema and James Lankford, was initially met with resistance from House and Senate Republicans who argued it didn’t go far enough in addressing the migrant crisis. They claimed it would simply solidify the Biden administration’s progressive border policies.
Walz, like many Democrats at the time, accused Republicans of playing political games, suggesting that former President Trump’s opposition to the deal was motivated by his desire to exploit the issue for political gain. The campaign’s statement suggests Walz also supports Biden’s executive orders on the border, including his June proclamation to restrict migration between ports of entry during periods of high border crossings. This order, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has led to a decrease in border encounters, but has also drawn criticism from some progressive allies of the Biden administration. Despite the historic number of migrant encounters during Biden’s term, the campaign’s promotion of Walz’s support for stricter border policies signals a potential shift in Democratic strategy towards a more active approach on an issue traditionally dominated by the GOP.
