Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Vice President Kamala Harris 's running mate, attended a march with "Abolish ICE " protesters in 2018, a move that goes further than even his partner's criticism of the government agency.
Walz, a veteran and former congressman whom Democrats have portrayed as a Midwesterner with centrist views, marched in the streets of downtown Minneapolis with hundreds of protesters denouncing the Trump administration's immigration policies, according to the Minneapolis Daily.
Walz, who was running for governor at the time, told a separate publication he did not support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement but did believe in "majorly reforming" it.
Other notable attendees at the "Free our Future" protest included Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, gubernatorial candidate and Rep. Erin Murphy (D-MN), and Rep. Peggy Flanagan (D-MN).
The protest came days after the Trump administration rescinded its "zero tolerance" policy at the southern border, an action that resulted in parents and children being separated while in Border Patrol custody for the adults to be prosecuted. Roughly 5,000 children were separated as a result.
Matt Wolking, vice president for communications at Axiom Strategies, one of the largest Republican political consulting firms, first posted pictures from the June 30, 2018, event on X on Friday afternoon.
"Kamala Harris is a self described radical, and she picked a radical running mate who matches her open borders beliefs: sneaking across the border is a not a crime, sanctuary cities and drivers licenses for illegals are good, building a wall and securing the border is bad, the agency in charge of enforcing immigration laws should be scrapped, and illegals are entitled to receive taxpayer funded health care and benefits," Wolking said in a text message to the Washington Examiner on Friday afternoon.
The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Progressive Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), called for the government to wipe out the agency, though no action was taken under then-President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden.
Harris did not declaratively call for ICE to be closed down during the 2018 or 2020 election cycles, but she did say in 2018 that the government should think about "starting from scratch" with the agency.
ICE was created in the early 2000s through an act of Congress. Under congressional mandate, agents and officers within ICE are responsible for investigating certain federal crimes and detaining, arresting, and deporting illegal immigrants whom federal judges order removed.
Walz told a reporter during an interview in 2019 that he identified as a "progressive," not a "centrist."
Walz has a history of advancing liberal immigration policies, a top issue for voters heading into November.
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As a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Walz said he supported Minnesota becoming a “sanctuary” state, a term used for local and state jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration officers.
As governor, Walz has signed several bills into law, including providing immigrants who illegally entered the country with driver's licenses, free college tuition, and taxpayer-subsidized healthcare.
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