Minnesota Governor and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz couldn’t stand the heat when he got grilled during an intense congressional hearing, eventually panicking when he found himself unable to defend his controversial comparison of ICE agents to “Gestapo” soldiers.
For context, on June 12, 2025, Gov. Tim Walz was questioned during a tense congressional hearing on sanctuary cities, attempting to stand up for his state’s lax policies on illegal immigration. During the hearing, the governor stood alongside multiple other Democratic governors, including New York’s Kathy Hochul, and was asked a series of questions that proved to be too much for him.
During the hearing, Gov. Walz was asked to explain his comparison of ICE agents to Nazi secret police. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) asked the governor, “Governor, do you and other Democrat politicians understand that referencing the Gestapo is offensive?” The representative then asked, “Do you think that comments like that and rhetoric like that put ICE officers and other law enforcement in greater danger?”
In response, Gov. Walz attempted to defend himself, saying, “First and foremost, I think any attack on law enforcement is unacceptable wherever it’s at, whether it’s state, local…” At this point, Rep. Comer cut off the governor, who was unable to find a way to defend his characterization of ICE officers as “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo.”
However, later in the hearing, Walz stood by his comments, qualifying what he said and attempting to soften the blow. He explained, “I said President Trump was using them as his modern-day Gestapo. Not identifying who you are, coming up in unmarked vans, taking people away,” Gov. Walz then added, “The Constitution is not an inconvenience. It’s not an either-or.”
Furthermore, prior to the hearing, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release on May 19, 2025, fiercely criticizing Gov. Walz for his “sickening rhetoric,” with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying, “Governor Walz’s comments comparing ICE agents to the Gestapo is sickening. This type of rhetoric and demonization of ICE officers has led to our officers facing a 413% increase in assaults.”
Continuing, Assistant Secretary McLaughlin said that while Gov. Walz and his fellow Democrats “fight to protect criminal illegal aliens, our ICE officers will continue putting their lives and safety on the line to arrest murderers, kidnappers, and pedophiles that were let into our country by the previous administration’s open border policies.” Furthermore, DHS shared several examples of illegal aliens “ICE has arrested in Tim Walz’s Minnesota.”
"*" indicates required fields
Importantly, two of the other Democrats who were summoned to the hearing, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, spoke out against Walz’s comparison of ICE to the Gestapo, with Gov. Hochul saying, “I don’t use language like that in describing anyone,” according to press accounts. Furthermore, Gov. Pritzker said “Gestapo” is “not a word I would use,” adding, “But I will say that I understand the sentiments that people feel.”
Watch Gov. Walz try to defend himself:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video