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Walz Refuses to Apologize After Calling ICE Agents 'Donald Trump's Modern-Day Gestapo'

Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson  |  June 12, 2025 3:15 PM

In a congressional hearing Thursday, Majority Whip Tom Emmer denounced Governor Tim Walz for describing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as "Donald Trump's modern-day Gestapo." 

Walz made this comparison in a commencement speech at the University of Minnesota Law School in May.

"Donald Trump's modern-day Gestapo is sweeping people up off the street. They're in unmarked vans, wearing masks, being shipped off to foreign torture dungeons. No chance to mount a defense. Not even a chance to kiss a loved one goodbye. Just grabbed up by masked agents, shoved into those vans, and disappeared." 

Walz appeared before the House Oversight Committee to testify about sanctuary state policy. He was joined by Democratic Governors J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Kathy Hochul of New York, who also testified about sanctuary state policies in their respective states. 

During the congressional hearing, Congressman Emmer questioned Walz about his commencement speech. 

"When you said the words 'modern-day Gestapo,' you were referring to ICE agents," said Emmer. "Gestapo, by the way, sir, is the official secret police of Hitler's Nazi Germany, so you're calling ICE agents modern-day Nazis. Given the attacks on ICE agents that took place in Los Angeles over the weekend, don't you regard your dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric as a problem?" 

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Walz answered, "Which question do you want me to answer first?" 

In Los Angeles and San Diego, ICE and other law enforcement agents have recently encountered violent protestors who have attacked the officers with rocks and Molotov cocktails. 

"Inflammatory rhetoric such as yours," Emmer said to Walz. "And the other governors' on this panel is responsible for putting a target on the back of every ICE agent who is risking their life to protect our communities."

Later in the hearing, Walz was again questioned about his comparison of ICE agents to Hitler's Gestapo. When asked by Congressman Pat Fallon if he would apologize for his comment, Walz said, "I'm a history teacher. I used a historical reference."