Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: Proponent of Licenses for Illegal Aliens

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to replace her as the vice presidential candidate for the Party of Jackson.

So where does Walz stand on immigration? Let’s first look at the governor’s championing of a recently enacted law, which enables illegal aliens to obtain valid Minnesota driver’s licenses — notwithstanding concerns that such insecure documents assist aliens posing national-security risks to evade scrutiny and apprehension, concerns that federal law has attempted to address, but that Walz’s signature will exacerbate.

Driver’s Licenses for Unauthorized Aliens. Conservatives were hot out of the gate after Harris’ announcement to highlight Walz’ gubernatorial efforts to provide benefits to the estimated 81,000 unauthorized aliens living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Most recently, in March 2023, the governor signed a bill “expanding eligibility for a standard Minnesota driver’s license by allowing Minnesotans, regardless of immigration status, to obtain a license”.

As he explained his decision in a press release at the time:

Ensuring drivers in our state are licensed and carry insurance makes the roads safer for all Minnesotans ... . As a longtime supporter of this bill, I am proud to finally sign it into law, making our roads safer and moving us toward our goal of making Minnesota the best state to raise a family for everyone. [Emphasis in the original.]

Oxymoronic “Law-Abiding Illegal Aliens”. That’s a common argument politicians offer when they weaken state laws in order to allow illegal aliens to receive driver’s licenses, but it’s internally illogical and inconsistent.

The main — if not only — beneficiaries of that Minnesota law are aliens unlawfully in the United States, which by definition means they’ve ignored at least one law, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and usually a raft of others. “Law-abiding illegal alien” is a contradiction in terms.

Logically, up to the point they could apply for a driver’s license, one of the laws they were violating was the one requiring they have a proper driver’s license and insurance to operate a motor vehicle.

Thus, if they fail their newly allowed driver’s license exams, they’re likely to keep driving without a license because that’s what they have been doing to this point. Given that you usually have to possess a driver’s license to get auto insurance, they’ll likely skip that requirement, too.

The Insurance Argument. Speaking of that insurance requirement, nothing stops newly authorized illegal alien drivers from simply allowing their coverages to lapse once or after they obtain their licenses, because they have fewer incentives to comply with that law than lawful aliens and citizens in Minnesota do. Let me explain.

My home state requires licensed drivers to have and maintain auto insurance, and like most residents I comply with that requirement for two reasons: (1) I’ll be prosecuted, fined, and possibly incarcerated if I’m caught without coverage; and (2) I’ll face significant financial liability if I cause an accident and don’t have coverage.

If I’m prosecuted or convicted, I’ll have to appear because otherwise the sheriff will come to my house and arrest me, and I’ll have to pay any fines because otherwise the state will seize my property and garnish my wages.

Illegal aliens, again by definition, can’t work legally, which will make it difficult if not impossible for the state to attach their wages (especially if they’re working under the table), and they’re less likely to have the sort of tangible property (like real estate) the state could attach.

Plus, if they’re illegally present in Minnesota, they could just disappear and live illegally someplace else where the sheriff is less likely to find them.

Both of those points are relevant to the personal tort liability issue, as well.

If I cause an accident, am sued, and lose, I’ll have to pay because otherwise the successful aggrieved plaintiff will — like the state in the example above — seize my property and attach my wages.

Illegal aliens, however, are usually what tort lawyers refer to as “empty pockets”, individuals who either don’t have any assets or whose assets are difficult to seize. That’s why in many cases, motorists harmed by unauthorized drivers often simply make claims on their own insurance.

The only incentive illegal aliens have to comply with the driving laws either after they receive their new licenses or if they simply decide to keep driving without them is the threat that the state will hand them over to ICE for removal if they get caught breaking the law.

But nothing in that bill requires state or local law-enforcement to assist federal immigration authorities, meaning that it’s pure benefit for illegal drivers — it won’t make anyone “safer”, except possibly the aliens themselves, and even then only from federal apprehension.

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