The Republican gubernatorial candidate said illegal immigrants would be required to obtain conditional work visas, pay taxes and remain ineligible to vote under a proposal that differs from the Trump administration’s mass-deportation agenda.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and Trump-endorsed candidate for governor of Minnesota, is proposing a six-month program that would allow illegal immigrants living in the state to obtain conditional work visas rather than face immediate removal.
Lindell described the proposal during an interview with the Washington Examiner, saying illegal immigrants would be given a limited period to secure legal authorization to work.
“Six months, all the illegal immigrants would have to go get what’s going to be called a conditional work visa,” Lindell said.
The proposal would not grant citizenship or voting rights. Lindell said recipients would instead receive documentation allowing them to work legally, pay taxes and participate in the economy.
“Now, you’re not a citizen,” he said. “You can’t vote, but you have this card that now you can work and you can go be paying taxes, be functioning in society.”
Lindell’s plan appears to differ from the Trump administration’s emphasis on mass deportations and aggressive enforcement against people living in the United States illegally. Although the proposal would not provide citizenship, critics could characterize the six-month application period and temporary work authorization as a form of amnesty because it would allow some illegal immigrants to remain and work lawfully.
The submitted information does not specify what would happen to individuals who failed to apply within the six-month period, whether applicants would undergo background checks or whether certain criminal records would make them ineligible. It also does not explain how a Minnesota governor could create a visa category, because immigration status and work authorization are generally governed by federal law.
Lindell is seeking the Republican nomination for governor and is regarded as the current frontrunner in the contest. Trump’s endorsement gives him a significant advantage among Republican primary voters, though the immigration proposal could create tension with conservatives who support the administration’s deportation policy and oppose any legal status for people who entered or remained in the country unlawfully.
Minnesota has long been difficult territory for Republicans in statewide and national elections. The state has not supported a Republican presidential nominee since Richard Nixon carried it in 1972, making it the longest Democratic voting streak in presidential politics.
Republicans have won the governorship more recently, but not in more than a decade. Tim Pawlenty was the last Republican governor of Minnesota, leaving office in 2011 after serving two terms.
Lindell’s proposal suggests he may be trying to combine immigration enforcement with a labor-based legal status for illegal immigrants already living in the state. Under his description, participants would remain noncitizens, be barred from voting and be expected to work and pay taxes.
The plan could appeal to voters who want illegal immigrants placed into a documented system without granting them citizenship. It may also draw criticism from both sides of the immigration debate, with enforcement advocates viewing it as too lenient and immigration activists objecting to its temporary status and lack of a pathway to citizenship.
The political consequences will depend on whether Lindell expands the proposal into a detailed policy and how he reconciles it with Trump’s national immigration agenda. For now, his six-month conditional work-visa concept introduces a notable distinction between the Minnesota candidate and the administration that endorsed him.
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