Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) was booed after he criticized the Trump administration for deporting suspected criminal illegal aliens.
During his State of the State address, Walz, the former vice presidential running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, accused President Donald Trump of tearing “up the values that once made” the United States “the shining light of the world.
Walz referred to the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an accused MS-13 gang member and illegal alien who was deported to El Salvador.
“The President has also chosen — and I stress this, chosen to tear up the values that once made America the shining light of the world,” Walz continued. “Now, in this land of the free, and home of the brave, we have university students being swept up, shoved into unmarked vans, and father’s being tossed into Salvadorian gulag’s without a hint of due process.”
Walz’s criticism’s of the Trump administration were not only in reference to the deportation of Abrego Garcia, but were also regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist who led protests at Columbia University, and Rümeysa Oztürk, a Tufts University student who was detained by ICE for allegedly supporting Hamas terrorists, among others.
After Walz’s words, boos were heard from the crowd at his State of the State address.
“So, I want to be real clear about this, if you say you love freedom, but you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it’s privilege,” Walz added.
🚨 BREAKING: Tim Walz just got booed at his own state of state address after attacking Trump for deporting illegal immigrants.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) April 24, 2025
“University students being swept up, shoved into unmarked vans, and fathers being tossed into Salvadorian gulags without a hint of due process.”
“BOO!” pic.twitter.com/DEewnooZWJ
Walz’s comments regarding Abrego Garcia come as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) recently traveled to El Salvador and met with Abrego Garcia, who Democrats and the news media have described as a “Maryland father with protected status.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has previously claimed that Abrego Garcia is not just a “member of the brutal and vicious MS-13 gang,” but that he is also a “leader, of the brutal MS-13 gang.”
“The administration maintains the position that this individual — who was deported to El Salvador, and will not be returning to our country, was a member of the brutal and vicious MS-13 gang. That is fact number one,” Leavitt said. “Fact number two, we also have credible intelligence proving that this individual was involved in human trafficking. And, fact number three, this individual was a member, actually a leader, of the brutal MS-13 gang — which this President has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
.@PressSec debunks @TheAtlantic's fake story.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 1, 2025
FACT: The individual deported to El Salvador was a member of the vicious MS-13 gang — which @POTUS designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
FACT: We have credible intel proving he was involved in human trafficking.
FACT:… pic.twitter.com/45l5grO262
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also corroborated that “two judges found” that Abrego Garcia “was a member of MS-13,” and has stated that when Abrego Garcia “was arrested he was found with rolls of cash and drugs.”
While the Supreme Court has previously ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release, White House Deputy Chief of Staff has stated that the administration can not force El Salvador to return Abrego Garcia.
