Several Democratic governors appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday to testify on sanctuary state policies and illegal immigration, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 running mate during their failed bid for the White House.
During his testimony, Walz attempted to clarify that Minnesota was not officially a sanctuary state, arguing that neither he nor the state legislature had formally enacted such a designation into law. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), a fellow Minnesotan, wasn’t willing to let the former vice presidential contender off the hook. Emmer cited a 2018 tweet from Governor Walz, along with comments he made during a graduation speech, to challenge and expose contradictions in the governor’s past immigration rhetoric.
“On May 23, 2018, you tweeted, quote, ‘I support policies that keep law enforcement from enforcing federal laws.’ Close quote,” Emmer began, before taking Walz to task for comparing ICE agents to Nazi secret police:
On May 17, just this spring, at the University of Minnesota Law School’s commencement ceremony, you said, quote, “Donald Trump’s modern day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets.” When you said the words “modern day Gestapo,” you were referring to ICE agents.
Gestapo, by the way, sir, was the official secret police of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, so you’re calling ICE agents modern day Nazis. Given the attacks on ICE agents that took place in Los Angeles over the weekend, don’t you regard your dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric as a problem?
So, sir, it saddens me that you refuse to express regret from comparing ICE to Nazis. ICE agents are brave Americans who get up every morning, leave their families, and put their lives in harm’s way to protect our country, sir. You, at the very least, owe an apology to these dedicated public servants. I will say, sir, inflammatory rhetoric such as yours and the other governors on this panel is responsible for putting a target on the back of every ICE agent who is risking their life to protect our communities.
PLAY:
Governor Walz’s comments comparing ICE agents to the Nazi Gestapo is SICKENING.
ICE agents put their lives and safety on the line to arrest criminal illegal aliens let into our country. https://t.co/wUH9hilTRZ pic.twitter.com/QdxkxmQqcW
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 12, 2025
In another exchange, Emmer ripped Walz for his policies. “Governor, your agenda is clear: free healthcare, free college, and driver’s licenses for illegals while handcuffing law enforcement when they’re trying to protect our citizens in their communities,” the congressman said. “If you think that’s not a sanctuary state, you shouldn’t be governor.”
