No, Tim Walz didn’t suggest providing migrants ladders to scale the border fence

On Aug. 6, Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to serve as her running mate in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

After the announcement, the Wisconsin Republican Party issued a statement claiming that Walz suggested he wanted to provide ladders to migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally during a recent appearance on CNN.

“When asked how he would secure the southern border, Walz took the opportunity to encourage more illegal crossings by suggesting migrants be provided ladders to scale border fencing and barriers,” the Wisconsin Republican Party said.

Some conservative accounts on X also made similar claims, sharing a 14-second video clip from the interview.

“Tim Walz wants to invest in a ‘ladder factory’ to help illegals scale the border wall,” one post with over 220,000 views claimed.

Others who commented on the social media posts said Walz’s comments were being taken out of context.

THE QUESTION

Did Tim Walz suggest he wanted to give ladders to migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally?

THE SOURCES

• Wisconsin Republican Party
• July 30, 2024 interview on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360
• An Associated Press article

THE ANSWER

No, Tim Walz did not suggest he wanted to give ladders to migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

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WHAT WE FOUND

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz referred to ladders as part of his criticism of former President Donald Trump’s advocacy of a border wall to fight illegal immigration during a recent CNN interview.

But Walz never suggested he wanted to give ladders to migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Instead, the 14-second video clip from the interview is being shared on social media out of context.

On July 30, about a week before Vice President Kamala Harris chose Walz as her running mate, he was interviewed on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.

“He talks about this wall, I always say, ‘let me know how high it is, if it’s 25 feet then I’ll invest in a 30-foot-ladder factory,’” Walz says, referencing Trump’s plans to build a border wall. “That’s not how you stop this.”

But Walz was not offering to help people enter the U.S. without authorization. He was actually discussing alternative measures to secure the border.

In the full segment, Walz gives alternative ideas for how to handle illegal crossings on the southern border.

“You stop this using electronics, you stop it using more border control agents and you stop it by having a legal system that allows for that tradition of allowing folks to come here just like my relatives did,” Walz says near the end of the segment. “To come here, be able to work and establish the American dream.”

Walz also spoke in support of a bipartisan border security package intended to cut back on illegal crossings that the Senate voted down in February.

Arrests for such crossings reached a record high in December but dropped to a new low for the Biden administration at the end of July following a temporary ban on asylum.

This story was reported in collaboration with Wisconsin Watch, a member of the Gigafact network, and was originally reported by Tom Kertscher. The Associated Press contributed to this report.