Minnesota Governor Tim Walz outrageously compared routine ICE immigration enforcement to Anne Frank’s Holocaust hiding, drawing swift condemnation from Trump officials and Jewish groups for trivializing genocide.
Story Highlights
- Walz equates children fearing deportation with Anne Frank hiding from Nazis, ignoring key historical differences.
- Trump’s antisemitism envoy blasts the remark as ignorant, noting Anne Frank obeyed Dutch law unlike illegal immigrants.
- StopAntisemitism condemns exploiting Holocaust imagery for political points amid rising global Jew-hatred.
- Federal demands for Minnesota to end sanctuary policies and cooperate with ICE enforcement intensify conflict.
Walz’s Controversial Press Conference
On January 25, 2026, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a press conference in response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by federal immigration agents. Walz declared children in Minnesota are hiding in their homes, afraid to go outside, invoking Anne Frank’s story: “Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.” This marked the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis within weeks, amid Operation Metro Surge targeting illegal immigration.
Federal Warning Precedes Outburst
Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a warning letter to Walz on January 24, 2026, demanding Minnesota repeal sanctuary policies and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The state has limited cooperation, blocking access to records. Walz deflected demands by referencing unreleased Epstein files, stating federal officials should prioritize those over state documents. This standoff highlights ongoing tensions between Democratic-led states and President Trump’s border security priorities, frustrating Americans weary of sanctuary havens protecting illegal activity.
Swift Backlash from Trump Administration
Trump’s antisemitism envoy condemned Walz on January 26, 2026, stating: “Ignorance like this cheapens the horror of the Holocaust. Anne Frank was in Amsterdam legally and abided by Dutch law. She was hauled off to a death camp because of her race and religion. Her story has nothing to do with the illegal immigration, fraud, and lawlessness plaguing Minnesota today.” The envoy emphasized enforcement targets lawbreakers, not citizens persecuted for identity, aligning with conservative values of rule of law over open borders.
Jewish Groups Denounce Holocaust Trivialization
StopAntisemitism issued a sharp rebuke: “For those who invoke the Holocaust or Anne Frank to score political points while staying silent as Jew-hatred explodes worldwide: shame on you. Exploiting the murder of 6 million Jews while refusing to confront today’s violent antisemitism isn’t remembrance, it’s abuse of history.” Jewish organizations expressed alarm at using sacred Holocaust memory to criticize lawful deportations, a tactic critics see as desperate resistance to restoring border integrity after years of Biden-era chaos.
All the Right People are TORCHING Tim Walz for His Embarrassing and Ignorant Anne Frank Allusion https://t.co/K7JIneeJ6A
— Carol RN *Miss Rush & the Gipper* 👩⚕️🇺🇸 🇮🇱🦈 (@pasqueflower19) January 26, 2026
Escalating State-Federal Clash
Walz doubled down, framing the issue as an “inflection point” transcending politics, demanding accountability for Pretti’s shooting without addressing illegal immigration fueling community fears. Operation Metro Surge deploys federal personnel to Minnesota following ICE detentions of thousands of minors nationwide, many apprehended interiorly. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem oversees the investigation. This rhetoric risks further eroding cooperation, prolonging dangers from unchecked migration that conservatives have long warned against.
Sources:
Fox News: Tim Walz compares Minnesota ICE actions to Holocaust, Anne Frank ‘hiding in houses’
Forward: Tim Walz invokes Anne Frank in pressing Trump to end ICE operations in Minnesota
