Gov. Tim Pawlenty issued several executive orders and proposed a plan targeting illegal immigration in Minnesota on Monday, creating excitement among conservatives. The announcement also caused considerable consternation among opponents who found politicking behind Pawlenty’s initiative, as his horse in the presidential contest, Arizona Sen. John McCain, has struggled with conservatives on the immigration issue.

An executive order signed at a press conference Monday will allow some Minnesota law enforcement agencies to execute federal immigration laws, will require verification of citizenship for state employees and contractors and orders the review of millions of driver’s licenses in the state databanks for fraud.

Pawlenty also offered several proposals to the Legislature. The proposals aim to eliminate ordinances that prohibit local law enforcement officers from inquiring into immigration status, increase penalties for document fraud, impose a $5,000 fine on employers who hire undocumented workers, and broaden human trafficking laws.

Minnesota Majority, a conservative group, called it the “boldest exertion of executive power by Governor Pawlenty in recent memory.” Minnesota Majority head and former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer sent out an action alert shortly after Pawlenty’s press conference. “Today Governor Tim Pawlenty announced sweeping immigration proposals to address the growing problem of illegal aliens in Minnesota,” it read. “The growing influx of illegal aliens poses significant challenges to our state, including putting a financial strain on state resources as well as introducing societal impacts, such as crime and economic loss.”

The Pioneer Press editorial board was for the most part supportive. It wrote, “Pawlenty’s package rightly focuses on serious criminal wrongdoing rather than the mere act of being in Minnesota illegally.” The editorial put a challenge to the DFL while acknowledging a bit of politicking on Pawlenty’s part. “We challenge Democrats to acknowledge the problems Pawlenty is addressing and come up with their own solutions. Ignoring the wrecked system is as bad as using it for political purposes. We need a big federal fix to be sure.”

“I’m somewhat suspicious of the timing of this announcement,” wrote conservative blogger Kevin Ecker at True North. “Certainly the topic of immigration has relatively cooled of late. Making the announcement now is a little odd. I’m not necessarily suggesting there are ill-intended goals here, I just am not seeing the forces that resulted in this [executive order]… Either he just wants to score political points for a future election, or else he’s looking to pin the Minnesota DFL against the wall.”

The opposition was much more critical.

“This is the same proposal from two years ago and once again it’s an election year,” said Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis, at a counter press conference Monday. “This is an election cycle and I am very disappointed that our Governor has chosen to use this issue as a way to further his political agenda.”

“He’s asking state agencies to do the job of the federal government,” she said, “That is not the work of our law enforcement. He’s asking local communities to take on the burden of immigration enforcement at the same time he’s already cutting aid to those cities.”

Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman also had strong words for Pawlenty. “The only real news was that Pawlenty was milking another opportunity to strut his anti-immigrant stuff for any Republican presidential candidates out there who might be, ahem, looking for a jut-jawed vice president (are you listening, John McCain?),” wrote Coleman. “Now that the once-moribund McCain is emerging as a stock-Huckabee favorite among national GOP powerbrokers, Pawlenty is polishing up his election-year bona fides with fresh vigor and purpose via a series of draconian proposals on the Republican hot-button issue of immigration.”

“If there’s a new immigration proposal from the governor, it must be an election year,” Javier Morillo-Alicea, president of SCIU Local 26 told the Pioneer Press. “I think this has everything to do with the presidential race. Immigration is the one issue John McCain has been clobbered on. If the governor is, as everyone speculates, looking to be McCain’s vice president, he’ll be the guy with credibility on immigration from the Republican perspective.”

And with a victory for McCain in New Hampshire Tuesday, all the more so.

But Pawlenty spokester Brian McClung denied any politicking, telling the Star Tribune that any connection to the national elections was “silly and refuted by the obvious facts.” McClung said, “Governor Pawlenty has been a longtime proponent of cracking down on illegal immigration, dating back to his time in the Legislature.”