Harris made a risky bet by picking Walz. It will put immigration at center stage

Andres Oppenheimer

Vice President and Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris made a risky bet by picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — a folksy progressive — as her running mate. His courageous, but not universally popular, stands on immigration will make him a primary target of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s attacks on the democratic ticket.

Walz’s views on immigration are diametrically opposed to Trump’s false claims that an “invasion” of immigrants is causing a rise in violent crimes and “poisoning the blood” of this country.

In fact, studies show that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans, and violent crime rates have declined over the past year. In addition, U.S. Border Patrol figures show that the flow of undocumented migrants has fallen sharply this year.

But Trump’s populist anti-immigrant rhetoric energizes his base, and draws big headlines. Even before Harris picked Waltz as her running mate, the Trump campaign had made undocumented migration its top campaign issue.

The first two items in the preamble of the Republican Party’s 2024 campaign platform read: “Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion” and “Carry out the largest deportation operation in America’s history.”

By comparison, Walz stands up “for a balanced approach rather than demonization” of migrants, according to the pro-immigration Americas Voice advocacy group.

Walz has ridiculed Trump’s plan to build a border wall to stop undocumented migrants as a monumental waste of money.

“He [Trump] talks about this wall, I always say, let me know how high it is. If it is 25 feet, then I’ll invest in a 30-foot ladder factory,” Walz told CNN earlier this month.

Walz added, “That’s not how you stop this. You stop this using electronics, you stop it using more border control agents, and you stop it by having a legal system that allows for that tradition of allowing folks to come here just like my relatives did to come here, be able to work and establish the American dream.”

Walz signed a 2023 bill that allows giving driver licenses to all eligible Minnesota residents, regardless of their legal status. Walz argues that allowing immigrants to drive to their workplaces helps the economy, and that migrants who don’t fear deportation are more likely to report crimes, and cooperate with police.

Walz opposes Trump’s call for mass deportations of undocumented migrants, and has supported giving a path to legal residence to the so-called Dreamers, or children brought to this country as infants by their undocumented parents.

Walz has supported refugee arrivals in Minnesota. When criticized for that stand by a Republican gubernatorial opponent in 2022, Walz said, “He’s 100% wrong morally, and he’s 100% wrong economically and culturally.” Walz added that “this myth… that they are using public services and not paying back is absolutely false.”

Walz opposed the Trump administration’s immigrant family separation policy, and, as a lawmaker, cosponsored a bill that would have prohibited the federal government from separating children from their families except in extremely limited cases.

Family separation “is immoral, it is barbaric. We can do better,” Walz said.

Walz’s stands on immigration make much more sense than Trump’s phony statements about an “invasion” of immigrants who the former president claims are being released from Latin American prisons and mental institutions with the purpose of infiltrating and destroying America. That hasn’t been backed up by any credible source, and is pure nonsense.

But the fact is that many Americans who hear Trump’s fabrications about immigrants, which are amplified by Elon Musk’s X and other right-wing media, are believing them. Polls show that anti-immigrant sentiment is rising, despite multiple studies showing that immigrants help the U.S. economy.

According to a July poll by Gallup, 55% of adult Americans want to see immigration decreased, up from 41% a year ago. It’s the first time in nearly 20 years that a majority of Americans want less immigration, the poll shows.

In that context, I wonder whether Harris made the right choice by selecting Walz, rather than a more center-right figure who would have drawn lesser attention to the immigration issue.

Harris’ calculation was probably that Walz, an affable former high-school football coach, will help debunk Trump’s false anti-immigration narrative. But even if Walz does that, he will allow Trump to make immigration the focal point of the race for the November elections, which doesn’t help the Democrats.

For the time being, Harris’ choice of Walz has energized the Democratic base, and has put Harris ahead of Trump in several polls. But Harris may have played into Trump’s hands by picking a fellow progressive with a strong pro-immigration record.

To win in November, Harris will have to shift slightly to the political center, and appeal to independent voters in swing states. Otherwise, her current political honeymoon may not last, and Trump’s anti-immigration demagoguery will prevail.