DHS Condemns Governor Walz's 'Sickening' Comments Comparing ICE to Gestapo

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sharply criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for comments he made over the weekend comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the Gestapo.

Speaking at the University of Minnesota Law School commencement, Walz said "Donald Trump's modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets," a reference to fast-tracked deportations and ICE operations under the Trump administration.

"They're in unmarked vans, wearing masks, being shipped off to foreign torture dungeons," Walz added. "No chance to mount a defense, not even a chance to kiss a loved one goodbye." He also called the situation "the crumbling of rule of law in real time," according to The Hill.

In response, DHS issued a statement calling Walz's rhetoric "sickening" and highlighting "the bravery of our ICE enforcement agents" in the process." DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin is quoted in the statement as saying:

"This type of rhetoric and demonization of ICE officers has led to our officers facing a 413% increase in assaults. While politicians like Walz fight to protect criminal illegal aliens, our ICE officers will continue putting their lives and safety on the line to arrest murderers, kidnappers, and pedophiles that were let into our country by the previous administration's open border policies"

The statement went on to list recent arrests in Minnesota, including immigrants convicted of murder, child sexual abuse, robbery, and drug trafficking. Among those arrested: Abdirashid Elmi, convicted of murder; Marco Quizhpi Granda, convicted of child sexual abuse; and Abymahel Torres-Arriaga and Edgar David Felipe-Mendez, both convicted of selling heroin, meth, and fentanyl. All were arrested in Minnesota within the past several weeks.

Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, has not responded to the DHS statement. He concluded his weekend address by urging graduates to meet what he called a "genuine emergency" in American democracy.