Democratic politicians in and out of Minnesota are continuing to fan the flames of outrage with gaslighting remarks aimed at demonizing federal immigration enforcement agents and operations. One of the worst is Gov. Tim Walz, who made another Nazi reference regarding ICE and Border Patrol agents who are facing resistance everywhere they go in Minneapolis – much of it from paid agitators, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Walz sharply criticized federal immigration enforcement following a deadly Border Patrol shooting in Minneapolis, comparing the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to the Holocaust and the experience of Anne Frank.
Speaking during a press briefing Sunday, Walz said some residents, including children, are now “hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside” amid ongoing federal immigration operations in the state. He drew a historical parallel to the story of Anne Frank, the German-Jewish teenager who hid with her family during Nazi persecution in World War II, as he urged changes to federal enforcement tactics.
“We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank,” Walz said.
The comments came in the wake of a Jan. 24 incident in which a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse, during an enforcement operation. Federal officials have said Pretti was armed and resisted agents; local accounts and bystander video have prompted public scrutiny of the encounter.
Walz and other Democrats in the state including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have previously used such inflammatory language which Republicans say are only fanning the flames of outrage and increasing the likelihood of violence against federal immigration agents.
Meanwhile, a former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday, saying their responses to recent federal immigration enforcement actions amount to a “subversion” of the Trump administration’s authority.
Jonathan Fahey, who served briefly as acting ICE director during the Trump administration, characterized the conduct of the state and city leaders following the most recent shooting as “outrageous” during an interview with Fox News. saying elected officials should not be in a position to determine where federal laws are enforced.
Fox played footage of Frey saying the anti-ICE protests in his state have been “peaceful” and “embody the very principles” of what it means to be an American.
Fahey dismissed Frey’s description, stating it was “just plain wrong” and that he has been actively making it more difficult for federal agents to do their jobs.
“[Frey’s] talking about our democracy. Well, part of our democracy is we have elections and we pass laws, and the Executive branch enforces the laws. And he’s using his authority to prevent the law from being enforced,” Fahey said.
“It’s a complete subversion effort by him and Governor Walz — the likes of which we have not seen probably since the Civil War — where the state is basically saying, ‘Hey, this is a no-go zone for immigration law enforcement,’” he continued.
“And both Walz and Frey have said that, and that’s remarkable. The president not only to has a responsibility just for the immigration law, but for all laws in general to not let that stand,” Fahey added.
“You can’t have a state, you can’t have a politician, and you can’t have some activists decide what federal laws get enforced and where they get enforced. It’s really outrageous conduct.”
Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino informed reporters on Saturday afternoon that Pretti approached agents while armed with a 9 mm handgun while they were apprehending a violent illegal immigrant from Ecuador.
“The suspect also had two loaded magazines and no accessible ID,” Bovino said. “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”