Former Minnesotan EJ Haust Blasts Mike Lindell’s Immigration Proposal as ‘Amnesty with a Different Name’

Kaitlin Housler
Mike Lindell

EJ Haust, a self-described political refugee from Minnesota and official guest host of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, criticized MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell’s newly unveiled immigration proposal, arguing the Republican gubernatorial candidate is embracing a form of amnesty in an unsuccessful attempt to appeal to Democrats.

Haust, who lived in Minnesota for 12 years before relocating to Tennessee following the COVID-19 pandemic, suggested Lindell’s proposal reflects a broader problem within Minnesota Republican politics.

“A 100 percent. And most Republicans in Minnesota do,” Haust said during Friday’s show after Leahy argued Lindell appeared to be seeking Democratic support. “I’ve got a friend on X who calls Minnesota Republicans the dumbest Republicans in America, and I have to agree.”

“Mike Lindell thinks that he can get Minnesota media to like him and Minnesota Democrats to like him—The truth is, they will never like you,” she added. “In fact, most of them would prefer Republicans were dead. They’ve said so out loud, so why don’t we just go ahead and stop placating?”

Discussing Minnesota’s Republican establishment, Haust argued many party advisers have adopted progressive positions.

“The political advisors…who tend to rule the parties in Minnesota—particularly on the Republican side, you shouldn’t really even call them conservative. They’re progressive.”

She used U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN-06) as an example, noting, “The same ones who advise Tom Emmer, the guy who embraced Somalis…Now [hates] them. Now he’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t need the Somalis.’ But back in the day it was like, ‘Oh, this is how I’ll get elected. I’ll say nice things about Democrats.'”

Haust argued Lindell is receiving similar political advice.

“There’s a lot of people, particularly in Minnesota, in the political apparatus who just go with which way the wind blows, and I promise you Lindell is getting advised by those people that ICE is really bad for us… So he’s getting informed and… this was such a horrible decision.”

During the segment, Leahy and Haust reacted to Lindell’s recent interview with Minneapolis television station WCCO, where the gubernatorial candidate discussed his proposed immigration plan.

After Lindell agreed with the interviewer that the nation’s immigration system is “broken,” Haust responded, “They always set up the questions that way, don’t they? It’s the equivalent of the debate question where they say, ‘Mr. Republican, you suck. Everything you do sucks. Everything you’ve done for the last 20 years completely sucks. How will you not suck in the future?'”

When Lindell suggested there are illegal immigrants who “have never committed a crime,” Haust pushed back.

“I’m gonna challenge your whole ‘who are good people.’ Listen, if you commit crimes, you are not a good person, period, end of story. There is a legal way to get into this country. Follow it or don’t come,” she said.

Haust also rejected Lindell’s argument that employers exploit illegal immigrants, saying the solution is stricter enforcement of existing laws.

“The way to solve the problem of the employers not paying them enough is to hold the employers accountable for hiring illegals in the first place. This is all about enforcement,” she argued.

Summarizing Lindell’s proposal, Haust said it would effectively grant legal status to some illegal immigrants.

“His plan says that if you’ve been here a certain period of time and you haven’t been arrested for something else, then you get a work visa. It’s amnesty. It’s just amnesty with a different name. Absolutely ridiculous, and it’s not going to win him any votes—not on the left or the right,” she said.

Haust predicted the proposal would damage Lindell’s campaign, saying simply, “He’s going to lose.”

Watch:

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Mike Lindell” by Mike Lindell. 

 

 

 

 

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