Democrat Minnesota Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz received boos during his State of the State address after voicing strong disapproval of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Specifically, he was referencing its deportation of individuals suspected of criminal activity while residing in the country illegally.
In his speech, Walz criticized former President Donald Trump for what he described as a betrayal of American ideals. “The President has also chosen — and I stress this, chosen to tear up the values that once made America the shining light of the world.”
His remarks came as he discussed the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member sent back to El Salvador. Walz condemned the approach, expressing concerns about civil liberties and due process. “Now, in this land of the free, and home of the brave, we have university students being swept up, shoved into unmarked vans, and father’s being tossed into Salvadorian gulag’s without a hint of due process,” he said.
Breitbart News reports Walz’s critique extended beyond Abrego Garcia’s case. He also referenced actions taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involving other individuals, such as Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian protest leader at Columbia University, and Rümeysa Oztürk, a Tufts student accused of supporting Hamas. These incidents, he argued, reflect a broader disregard for fundamental rights.
The governor’s comments drew an audible reaction from the audience, including jeers. He responded by emphasizing the core of his argument: “So, I want to be real clear about this, if you say you love freedom, but you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it’s privilege.”
The case of Abrego Garcia continues to be a flashpoint in political debates. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) recently visited El Salvador and met with Abrego Garcia, whom Democrats and some media outlets have portrayed as a Maryland father who held protected status in the U.S.
However, the White House has firmly rejected that characterization. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Abrego Garcia as not only a member of the violent MS-13 gang but one of its leaders. “The administration maintains the position that this individual — who was deported to El Salvador, and will not be returning to our country, was a member of the brutal and vicious MS-13 gang.
That is fact number one,” she said. “Fact number two, we also have credible intelligence proving that this individual was involved in human trafficking. And, fact number three, this individual was a member, actually a leader, of the brutal MS-13 gang — which this President has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has backed up these claims, stating that two separate judges concluded Abrego Garcia was affiliated with MS-13. They also noted that at the time of his arrest, he was in possession of large sums of cash and drugs.
Although the Supreme Court previously directed the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release, the White House has insisted it lacks the authority to compel El Salvador to return him, as explained by the Deputy Chief of Staff.
Non war zone BS false story spreader is back at it again should move to China where he got his anti America views.
Exactly! I truly wish these false narratives and stories would stop, these people need to do their jobs versus just focusing on hate, why do some people not care about that