Minnesota Governor Candidate Mike Lindell Proposes Six-Month Amnesty For Illegal Aliens

Mike Lindell, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, drew sharp criticism Wednesday after proposing a six-month amnesty period that would allow illegal immigrants with no other criminal history to register for non-expiring conditional work visas.

“I’d like the whole United States to do this, but let’s say I did it here in Minnesota,” Lindell said in a Tuesday interview. “Six months, all the illegal immigrants would have to go get what’s going to be called a conditional work visa.”

Lindell outlines conditional visa plan

Under Lindell’s proposal, Minnesota would impose a six-month deportation moratorium while illegal immigrants register, submit fingerprints, and undergo criminal background checks. Applicants would not receive citizenship or voting rights, but the conditional visas would not expire.

“I’m a person of second chances, if the only thing they ever did was cross the border and didn’t report back in because they were afraid of being re-deported,” Lindell said.

“Now, you’re not a citizen,” he added. “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 also said employers who continued paying illegal immigrants in cash after the registration period should face jail time.

“If you’re caught hiring people for cash again, hiring people for cash, the illegals, you go to prison,” Lindell said. “The CEO will go to prison for 90 days, or to jail.”

A Minnesota governor could not independently create a federal work visa or halt federal removals. Congress holds broad authority over immigration policy, while the Department of Homeland Security administers visa petitions, immigration benefits, and enforcement. Lindell’s plan would therefore require federal cooperation or congressional action.

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Mike Lindell just surrendered to the radical left by supporting amnesty for illegal aliens.

– Conditional visas where you never have to leave the country regardless of citizenship.
– Drivers licenses for illegals.
– Government subsidies to illegals to gain legal status.

“You… pic.twitter.com/acogy58jWR

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) July 22, 2026

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President Donald Trump has endorsed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor, praising him as “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots” and giving formal backing to a fellow election denier a day before the Republican president delivers a national address he says will focus on election security.

Lindell established his national profile from his TV advertising campaign as the MyPillow Guy and has been one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters, echoing the president’s false claims that his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was fraudulent.

“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!” Trump posted Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to Lindell as “the ‘Pillow Man.'”

Trump has hammered outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, as incompetent and accused his administration of allowing rampant fraud in federal spending on childcare. Trump has employed racist rhetoric to target Minnesota’s Somali immigrant population as driving the alleged fraud.

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