Trump-backed Minnesota governor candidate Mike Lindell floats 6-month amnesty for illegals in state

The proposal appears to stand in contrast to the Trump administration's pursuit of mass deportations.

Published: July 22, 2026 12:57pm

Updated: July 22, 2026 5:04pm

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell this week floated a six-month amnesty program for illegal aliens in Minnesota to obtain work visas.

Lindell is seeking the governorship and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Speaking to the Washington Examiner, Lindell said “[s]ix months, all the illegal immigrants would have to go get what’s going to be called a conditional work visa.”

“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.”

The proposal appears to stand in contrast to the Trump administration's pursuit of mass deportations. 

Lindell is currently seeking the Republican nomination, but is currently regarded as the frontrunner in that contest. Minnesota is a Democratic bastion and hasn't backed a Republican at the national level since Richard Nixon in 1972.

The last Republican governor of the state was Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., who left office in 2011.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.

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