Despite its small population compared to other states, Latinos in Minnesota say Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, has not overlooked them as governor.
Walz’s supporters say the Democratic governor has made education and health care more accessible in the state and jobs more affordable for families. They also noted that he was the first governor to attend a major Latino cultural phenomenon in St. Paul, the state capital.
Walz’s relationship with Latinos in the state will be critical as he talks about his Midwestern experience while campaigning in Arizona, where nearly a third of the population is Latino; Nevada (almost 29%); and other swing states, such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, where Latino turnout could help decide a tight race.
About 38% of Minnesota Latinos who voted in 2020 supported Donald Trump. According to an inquiry by NBC News.
Emilia Gonzalez Avalos, executive director of Unidos MN, a group that advocates for immigrant, education and climate justice, said Walz’s remarks reflect the state’s view of Latinos, including those in the immigrant community, as “another constituency within working families.”
About 6.1% of Minnesota’s population is Latino, and about 98,000 Latinos voted in 2020. UnidosUS Hispanic Voter Information Center. Biden won the state in 2020 233,012 votes. The majority of Minnesota Latinos—about 4 in 5—are U.S. citizens, with 68% U.S.-born and 11% naturalized. 2021 state government report.
The state’s Latino population consists primarily of people of Mexican descent, some whose ancestors first settled in the state as migrant workers in the mid-1900s. in the beet fields of the state.
Other Latino groups followed, including people with roots in Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia and, increasingly, Venezuela.
Policies without an “exclusion”.
Last year, Walz signed legislation that created a program that covers tuition and fees at public colleges for Minnesota residents with adjusted gross family incomes of less than $80,000 a year. Aid begins to cover what is not covered by other grants, such as federal financial aid and scholarships.
Since 2013, the state has offered in-state tuition and financial aid to people with temporary legal status who are not here legally. The policy change improved the aid calculation for students who do not receive federal financial aid. The amendment provided more state aid to those without legal immigration status, attending certain trade schools, such as barber colleges, or those with course loads less than those required for federal aid.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Higher Education said the change was a decision made within the department. But Gonzalez said efforts to get that change failed before Walz took office.
“Many of the Latino students we’ve heard from across the state say they’ve chosen an option other than college because of affordability,” Gonzalez said of the importance of the events.
Paid family leave is available to everyone, and federal taxpayers with an individual tax ID number, regardless of immigration status, are eligible for child tax credits, Gonzalez said.
And state residents without legal status can sign up for Minnesota Care this November and start receiving health benefits in 2025, he said.
“Many of his regular, working-family policies don’t have exclusion clauses — he invested in free and reduced lunches, we passed free public colleges for families who need it most,” Gonzalez said.
Rep. Maria Jesus Perez-Vega, a state House Democrat, had to cancel a planned news conference with the governor in her district about the newly created Children’s Cabinet, which focuses on children and families, when Walz’s selection became official Tuesday.
Perez-Vega, a Puerto Rican, is the first Latino district in the state, west of St. It represents Paul.
A Walz signed into law in 2020 Capping insulin rates at $35 a month does not cover undocumented people. Perez-Vega said he worked with Walz to get it the limit applies to those without legal immigration status federal taxpayers.
“Having come from Mankato, he knows how to solve these problems. Mankato is a very, very Republican conservative town. But the demographics have changed where you see two generations of Latin American, East African and Southeast Asian groups there,” he said.
Walz moved onto the national stage about six months after signing the state’s so-called “All Driver’s Licenses” law. The law allowed people without permanent legal status in the United States, including undocumented residents, to obtain driver’s licenses.
The law has drawn criticism from immigration hardliners who argue it encourages illegal immigration. Supporters defended the changes helps the overall economy of the state.
John Pacheco, president of the Minnesota Latino Chamber of Commerce, said the expanded driver’s license is beneficial to agriculture and businesses that need workers who can legally drive.
Like other voters, Latinos ranked pocketbook issues as their top concern this year. Carlos Odio, a pollster with the Democratic firm Equis Research, said immigration policies are no longer the litmus test they once were for Latino voters, who have favored Democrats in past elections.
But immigration framing and strategy may still influence perceptions for some voters. Audio said Latino voters generally reject the idea of mass deportation — which Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, do they became champions — even if they support more order at the border.
More startups – and criticism of taxes
Pacheco credited Walz’s administration with giving grants to the chamber to help Latino business startups from around the state.
“We have a special Latino legislative liaison and we meet with his staff every month and look at the issues that are coming up. … We have about seven or eight Latino organizations, we put our agenda together, we send the governor and appointment lists together. We do quite a bit with his staff,” Pacheco said.
Walz needs to convince voters that the policies he advocates are not as costly as Republicans claim.
Minnesota Hispanic Republican Assembly Speaker Rick Aguilar said the GOP is finding support among Latino entrepreneurs who have been “hit by the Walz administration’s taxes.”
Aguilar said sales taxes hit Latino businesses hard. These owners may support an extended driver’s license, but look at their bottom line and see that they have to charge more money at their local Walmart because of inflation and taxes.
The cost of sick leave and free meals for children “falls on the employer,” he said.
In a simpler gesture, Gonzalez said, Walz is the first Minnesota governor to attend a mass celebration of Dia del Grito, a traditional sign of the cry for freedom that sparked the Mexican War of Independence.
Other governors had attended the celebration held by the consulate, but Walz accepted an invitation to attend the event at Mercado Central, an immigrant-owned market with many Latino businesses, food and goods on Lake Street in Minneapolis, in the heart of Latino. community, Gonzalez said.
Walz has met with UnidosMN and others in the Lake Street community to help business owners and groups “address investment issues, hear about needs,” and said she is concerned about racial disparity gaps.
“He’s been on Lake Street. He’s been the current governor for a lot of Latinos,” Gonzalez said.
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