THE FOLLOW UP
STATEMENT

Minnesota governor says state and local police should not enforce federal immigration laws

True

Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.

Interesting: 0/0 • Support: 0/0Log in to vote
other

Governor Tim Walz made and/or published the quoted statement that local law enforcement should not enforce federal immigration laws.

Source summary
The White House published a Jan. 16, 2026 article criticizing Minnesota elected officials for adopting "sanctuary" policies and using anti-ICE rhetoric, arguing those stances have created hostility that endangers federal officers and prompted enhanced federal enforcement. The piece quotes numerous Minnesota leaders — including Attorney General Keith Ellison, Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Rep. Ilhan Omar — who state they will not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The administration frames the officials' policies as the cause of increased tensions and enforcement actions.
View original article →
Latest fact check

In a 2018 written statement to CBS Minnesota for a "Reality Check" segment, Tim Walz explicitly said: "The role of law enforcement is to enforce state and local laws, not federal immigration laws, and I strongly believe that they should not do so," framing this as his position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state. The same quote and position are later reiterated in coverage of his immigration stance, confirming that he has publicly argued that enforcing federal immigration laws is not the role of state and local law enforcement. These sources directly match the substance of the claim as stated. Verdict: True, because multiple reputable sources quote Walz verbatim making the statement that state and local law enforcement should not enforce federal immigration laws.

Sources

Timeline

  1. Update · Jan 16, 2026, 11:05 PMTrue
    In a 2018 written statement to CBS Minnesota for a "Reality Check" segment, Tim Walz explicitly said: "The role of law enforcement is to enforce state and local laws, not federal immigration laws, and I strongly believe that they should not do so," framing this as his position on Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state. The same quote and position are later reiterated in coverage of his immigration stance, confirming that he has publicly argued that enforcing federal immigration laws is not the role of state and local law enforcement. These sources directly match the substance of the claim as stated. Verdict: True, because multiple reputable sources quote Walz verbatim making the statement that state and local law enforcement should not enforce federal immigration laws.
  2. Original article · Jan 16, 2026
    View article
Back to Countdowns

Comments

Only logged-in users can comment.
Loading…