Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sparked more controversy on Sunday after comparing federal immigration officers to the Nazi regime that terrorized Europe during World War II.
During a heated news conference, the Democrat governor claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in his state were no different than the German occupation of the Netherlands, invoking the memory of Holocaust victim Anne Frank to criticize federal law enforcement.
The governor’s shocking remarks came just one day after a confrontation in Minneapolis left anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti dead. Pretti was shot by a Border Patrol agent during a chaotic scene in the city.
Instead of calling for calm, Governor Walz demanded that federal agents leave Minnesota immediately. He told reporters that children of illegal immigrants are now hiding in their homes, terrified to go outside, much like the Jewish teenager who hid from Adolf Hitler’s forces for two years.
“We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses afraid to go outside,” Walz said. “Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.”
While Walz characterizes the federal presence as an “occupation” and a “campaign of organized brutality,” federal officials say they are responding to a breakdown in law and order.
The Trump administration deployed nearly 1,000 additional agents to the state following a violent incident on Jan. 7, where Renee Good, another protester, was shot and killed. The official stance of the federal government is that Good had rammed an ICE agent with her vehicle, causing the officer internal bleeding, before she was fired upon. READ: New Graphic POV Video Released In Deadly Minneapolis ICE Shooting
President Donald Trump defended the surge of agents during a White House briefing on Tuesday. He presented mugshots of several illegal aliens arrested in Minnesota during the recent crackdown.
The President pointed out that these individuals were not just in the country illegally but had been arrested for serious crimes, including molestation, drug possession, and terroristic threats.
Despite the criminal records of those being arrested, Walz has encouraged citizens to film agents and has supported the ongoing protests. These demonstrations have caused significant disruption, forcing hundreds of businesses to close and urging workers and students to stay home.
The situation on the ground has become increasingly dangerous for law enforcement officers. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a federal officer had part of his finger bitten off by a rioter during a clash on Saturday.
The harassment of federal employees has even extended to their places of worship. RELATED: Journalism Or Trespass? Fox News Analyst Torches Don Lemon Over Church ‘Invasion’
The Department of Justice recently charged three activists—Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly—for disrupting a church service in St. Paul. The group targeted the Cities Church because the pastor also serves as an ICE official. While the charges were filed under a law meant to protect religious services, the three demonstrators have since been released.
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