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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took an outrageous detour from measured governance into incendiary rhetoric this week when he compared the fear some immigrant families feel during federal immigration operations to the story of Anne Frank. Speaking after a pair of federal agent-involved shootings in the state, Walz warned that children were “hiding in their houses” and said “somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota,” invoking the Holocaust in the process.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum responded exactly as it should: it called Walz’s analogy “deeply offensive,” reminding leaders that Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish and that false equivalencies to that horror are unacceptable. The museum’s rebuke is a stern rebuke to anyone who would shortcut historical truth for political points, especially at a time when antisemitism is once again on the rise.
This isn’t small misstep rhetoric — it’s moral malpractice. Conservatives should be the first to defend the sanctity of memory and the victims of history, and we should also be the first to slam politicians who cheapen the Holocaust to score partisan points. Walz’s line was not only historically ignorant, it was disgracefully tactless and a disgrace to anyone who truly cares about the memory of those who suffered under the Nazis.
At the center of the dispute are two recent shootings involving federal immigration agents that have inflamed tensions across Minneapolis and St. Paul, including the death of Alex Pretti and an earlier fatality that have led to protests and calls for federal withdrawals. The federal operation, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, has drawn sharp local criticism and heightened passions on all sides, which is why sober, fact-driven leadership is needed now more than ever.
Patriotically defending the rule of law does not mean endorsing unreviewed force; it does mean opposing opportunistic comparisons that equate law enforcement with genocide. Conservatives can and should demand transparent investigations into any use of deadly force while also rejecting hyperbolic rhetoric that inflames rather than heals. Accountability and respect for institutions — including museums that safeguard the truth about human evil — are not liberal or conservative issues; they are American obligations.
If Democrats hope to retain credibility on matters of history and decency, they must stop weaponizing Holocaust analogies when it suits a narrative. The Holocaust Museum’s rebuke should be a wake-up call to anyone who thinks comparing ICE or federal agents to the Nazis is acceptable political theater. Leaders owe Minnesotans, and all Americans, steadiness and truth — not soundbites that insult the memory of the murdered.
Governor Walz needs to apologize to the Jewish community and to every American who believes in preserving historical truth, and he needs to channel his energy into practical solutions: secure communities, accountable law enforcement, and education for frightened children without resorting to grotesque comparisons. We can be compassionate and law-abiding at once, but only if our leaders stop playing political games with tragedy and start delivering results for hardworking Americans.
