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GOP Lawmakers Clash With Minnesota’s Walz Over Sanctuary Policies in House Oversight Hearing

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Updated Jun 13, 2025, 11:36 PM

Republican members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee mounted an aggressive line of questioning against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during a two-day hearing on 12-13 June that examined state and local "sanctuary" policies toward undocumented immigrants. Walz, one of three Democratic governors called to testify, was repeatedly pressed on Minnesota’s limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities and on remarks he made in 2018 comparing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the Gestapo.

Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer led the critique, accusing Walz of failing to maintain public safety during the 2020 Minneapolis riots and declaring, "You are an utter failure—you should not be governor." Representatives Nancy Mace, Eric Burlison and Pete Stauber followed with questions about crime, border security and the governor’s past support for protests seeking to abolish ICE. Walz declined to retract his Gestapo comparison despite multiple prompts from Burlison, and sparred with Mace over broader questions related to gender and school safety.

Democrats on the committee defended the governor. Ohio Representative Shontel Brown argued that Republican criticisms would be better directed at passing universal background-check legislation and restoring funding for community-violence prevention programs. She also faulted the majority for pardoning some participants in the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot while, in her view, under-investing in social services such as Medicaid and SNAP.

The hearing underscored the deep partisan divide over immigration enforcement ahead of the summer legislative session. While Republicans signaled that they will continue to target state sanctuary policies, Walz maintained that Minnesota’s approach balances public safety with protections for immigrant communities and said any federal reforms must come through comprehensive immigration legislation, not what he called "political theatrics."

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