Left-Wing Group Instructed Walz How to Defy Trump on Immigration in Minnesota

Minnesota—a state that the Trump administration has sued alleging it is a sanctuary state—received “resistance” guidelines from a coalition of Democrat governors on how to defy assisting federal authorities as they enforce immigration law. 

Gov. Tim Walz—fresh from defeat as the Democrat vice presidential candidate—was among a group of Democrat leaders who received recommendations from the coalition Governors Safeguarding Democracy to prevent sheriffs and local prosecutors from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, documents obtained by The Daily Signal show.

Governors Safeguarding Democracy, a Democrat group, called for state leaders to enact executive orders to prevent local and state law enforcement from sharing information with the federal government or assisting with federal immigration enforcement, according to documents provided through a public records request.

On Sept. 30, the Justice Department sued Minnesota, which it identified as a sanctuary state, for not enforcing federal immigration law. It also sued the city of Minneapolis, the city of St. Paul, and Hennepin County.

A Walz spokesperson told KSTP TV: “Minnesota follows federal law—we are not a sanctuary state. We will review the lawsuit, but suspect it is another partisan stunt that will not hold up in court.”

However, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “Minnesota officials are jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process.”

The Minnesota governor’s office provided the records that included the coalition’s recommended actions, but did not respond to phone and email requests for comment on this story. 

In May, Walz compared the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with the Gestapo under Nazi Germany.

“Donald Trump’s modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets,” Walz said. “They’re in unmarked vans, wearing masks. Being shipped off to foreign torture dungeons, no chance to mount a defense, not even a chance to kiss a loved one goodbye, just grabbed up by masked agents, shoved into those vans, and disappeared.”

In June, Walz told the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, “The Minnesota Legislature has passed no such law making Minnesota a sanctuary state, and I have signed no such law.”

Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, many Democrats have been highly vocal about state sovereignty from the federal government. 

The Governors Safeguarding Democracy template suggests that governors decree: “No state agency, employee, or agent may comply with a request for information or assistance if they have reason to believe the request is in furtherance of any investigation, arrest, prosecution, or other sanction of conduct initiated by federal authorities … to impose civil or criminal liability, or other penalties, upon a person or entity for provision of humanitarian assistance, legal assistance, or other aid to benefit a noncitizen if that provision would have been lawful if it occurred entirely in this state;” or  “to identify or apprehend a person in order to subject them to civil immigration detention, removal, or deportation proceedings.”

Governors Safeguarding Democracy is co-chaired by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, both Democrats. The Global Impact Social Welfare Fund, a left-leaning 501(c)(4) advocacy group, is the fiscal sponsor of the group and its partner organization, Governors Action Alliance. 

Last week, Walz and Pritzker spoke at an event together where they criticized Trump for federalizing the National Guard to fend off attacks on an ICE facility in Chicago. Walz said he anticipated Trump deploying the National Guard to his state. 

The Governors Safeguarding Democracy recommendations say the restrictions on cooperating with federal authorities should apply to local governments such as “a sheriff and their office and department, the police departments of a municipality or other subdivision of the state, prosecutorial office, court, correctional facility, probation office or any other entity in the state charged with enforcement of state laws or the custody of detained persons.”

The documents go on to say that if a government entity is contacted by the federal government, it should “refer the request to the Governor’s Office of General Counsel.”

It’s not clear that Walz’s office followed the group’s advice. 

In a Jan. 7 email to the organization, Walz’s general counsel, Mary Fee, wrote, “We are not going to enter the common interest agreement right now. But thanks for the outreach.”

It’s not clear how many Democrat governors did heed the group’s advice. 

On Dec. 20, 2024, Emily Kirby, director of legal strategies for the sister organization, Governors Action Alliance, wrote, “GovAct [Governors Action Alliance] and GSD [Governors Safeguarding Democracy] will not disclose which offices have executed the common interest agreement, as to which issues, unless compelled by a court order or other legal proceeding.” 

The press office for Governors Safeguarding Democracy did not respond to The Daily Signal’s inquiries for this story.

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