Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, is facing new scrutiny from his GOP primary opponents following a report that he wants to institute an amnesty plan for illegal aliens.
“Amnesty for illegals will only make Minnesota more of a magnet — I would expect this from Amy Klobuchar and Tim Walz, but I’m surprised to see it coming from a fellow GOP candidate for governor,” GOP gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth said in a statement.
Demuth was referring to a Wednesday Washington Examiner article in which Lindell discussed his plan to institute a six-month deportation moratorium in Minnesota and give illegal aliens the opportunity to get conditional work visas that never expire.
According to the Washington Examiner, Lindell’s plan would only give visas to illegal aliens without criminal records. He said illegal aliens would be fingerprinted when they receive the conditional work visas.
“Now, you’re not a citizen,” Lindell explained to the Washington Examiner in an interview. “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 told the outlet he is “a person of second chances” and said “I’d like the whole United States to do this, but let’s say I did it here in Minnesota.”
After that story was published, Demuth and Kendall Qualls, another GOP candidate for Minnesota governor, slammed Lindell’s proposal. Qualls reacted to Lindell’s plan, saying, “the last thing we need is a ‘Republican’ like Mike Lindell who supports amnesty.”
Meanwhile, Demuth pledged to “work with the federal government to deport criminal illegal immigrants instead of giving them amnesty.”
Lindell speaks to Alpha News about his plan
In a Wednesday phone interview with Alpha News, Lindell said his plan would “get rid of the criminals, the felons. We don’t just grant amnesty and turn illegals into citizens, that’s not the case.”
Responding to critics who say his plan represents amnesty for illegal aliens, Lindell said “they can call it what they want.”
The MyPillow founder acknowledged that he could not implement his plan as governor but said Minnesota could benefit if the plan was implemented federally. On his website, Lindell says his plan would generate $840 million in state tax revenue that is currently not being collected because it is part of the “underground economy.”
A summary of the plan that was posted to Lindell’s campaign website explicitly says the plan could result in “permanent” work authorization for 5.7 million illegal aliens throughout the United States.
Lindell’s plan would also imprison employers for 90 days if those employers are caught hiring illegal aliens after the conditional work visas are issued. He told Alpha News his plan will go after “criminal employers” that are “cheating Minnesota.”
Additionally, Lindell emphasized that the conditional work visas do not grant citizenship and would only allow illegal aliens to stay in the country as long as they do not commit a gross misdemeanor or felony.
“It’s like being on probation for their original crime which was either a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor for coming into our country,” Lindell said. “You’re on permanent probation.”
The Republican gubernatorial candidate said he unveiled his plan because he is often asked about the immigration system. In talking to Alpha News, Lindell said he would like to deport all illegal aliens but appeared doubtful about the feasibility of mass deportations.
“You’re not gonna take 30 million people and pull ’em out of every — you’re gonna have conflict forever. We’re really sorry the Biden Administration, [and] others, let ’em in, let ’em cross the border, gave ’em cell phone[s],” Lindell said.
He continued, “Would I like ’em all out? Yes, I would, if that be a perfect world. They did commit a crime [when they entered the country illegally]. If we could get ’em out and then come back and reapply legally that would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic.”
Will Lindell’s plan affect the ongoing Republican primary?
Lindell’s decision to embrace a plan that would allow illegal aliens to remain in the United States permanently is an eyebrow-raising choice given the Republican Party’s opposition to amnesty for illegal aliens.
Additionally, Lindell is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, a politician who built his political career on securing America’s borders and carrying out mass deportations. Trump endorsed Lindell’s campaign for governor just last week.
Whether Lindell’s plan will shake up the ongoing Republican primary for governor is yet to be seen. To this point, Lindell has been considered the frontrunner in the race.
On Tuesday, a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll of Minnesota’s GOP gubernatorial primary showed Lindell leading with 35%. Meanwhile, Demuth was at 26% and Qualls was at 11%. In total, 22% of respondents were undecided.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
