White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
According to Leavitt, since President Donald Trump took office, Walz has released "nearly 500 criminal illegal aliens back onto Minnesota’s streets" rather than transferring them to federal custody.
She further accused Walz of spreading "malicious lies" about federal law enforcement officers, saying his rhetoric has put officers in danger while they carry out immigration enforcement operations.
A Border Patrol member pepper sprays observers after getting into a car accident on Blaisdell Avenue on Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Leavitt said Trump "will never back down" from his pledge to deport violent criminal illegal aliens, a promise she said nearly 80 million Americans supported over what she called the "Open Borders Agenda of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."
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She urged Walz to change course and cooperate with federal authorities.
"Governor Walz should do the right thing by Minnesotans and work WITH, rather than AGAINST, federal law enforcement," Leavitt wrote, pointing to states like Florida and Texas and cities like Washington, D.C., as examples where cooperation has led to "peace and safety."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-accuses-walz-undermining-law-enforcement-blocking-ice-cooperation