Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons is calling on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to issue a formal apology after the Democrat compared ICE agents to the Nazi-era Gestapo during a weekend commencement address.
In remarks delivered Saturday at the University of Minnesota Law School, Walz described former President Donald Trump as a “tyrant” and said graduating students were entering what he called “a genuine emergency.” In a striking statement, Walz said, “Donald Trump’s modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets,” claiming federal agents are detaining individuals in unmarked vans, without due process, and separating them from loved ones.
The comparison to the infamous Nazi secret police drew immediate backlash, particularly from Lyons, who issued a sharp rebuke on Tuesday.
“If the governor doesn’t like the laws, he’s free to advocate for change through Congress,” Lyons said. “But he should refrain from endangering ICE officers by likening them to one of the most appalling organizations in history.”
The timing of Walz’s remarks, delivered on the final day of National Police Week, further intensified the criticism.
“While law enforcement officers across the country mourn fallen colleagues, Governor Walz used a public platform to label professional, hard-working ICE agents as ‘modern-day Gestapo,’” Lyons said in his statement. “Such abhorrent, dehumanizing, and ignorant comments should not be tolerated.”
ICE officials have raised growing concerns over officer safety in recent years. According to Lyons, assaults on ICE personnel have surged more than 400% compared to the same time last year. He placed partial blame on political rhetoric, asserting that inflammatory language from public officials like Walz contributes to a dangerous climate for federal agents.
“Careless, politically charged statements put real lives at risk,” he added.
The controversy has drawn additional condemnation from the political right. White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller weighed in on social media, calling Walz’s language “vile” and accusing the governor of promoting rhetoric that could incite violence.
Walz’s office has not yet responded to the criticism. His remarks come amid heightened political debate over immigration enforcement policies and the broader role of federal agencies in executing them.
