Trump’s administration is no stranger to controversy, but one topic of his second term is sparking particular outrage. Since the start of the year, immigration has engulfed mass media and filled city streets with protesters. Pro-immigration sentiment is far from new. Now, however, signs and chants are paying reference to perhaps the most infamous time in modern history: Nazi Germany [1]. Accusations of fascism have followed Donald Trump in his political ascent, with comparisons to Adolf Hitler predating his 2016 presidential victory [2]. This theme has continued and intensified with immigration-related criticism. Thanks to politicians and celebrities, distasteful hyperbole has transitioned into a mainstream narrative [3]. Reference to such a horrific historical moment sparks essential questions. Is there any truth to Holocaust invocations? Is there any cost to making them?

Ultimately, comparisons between America and Nazi Germany are not just historically unsound; they threaten Americans and any hope for productive political discourse.

America’s Secret Police?

Though Nazi rhetoric has historically followed the actions of President Trump, it is now falling upon a much larger group of Americans. Protesters across the nation sport signs that compare Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the German Gestapo [4]. These are not just the sentiments of angry demonstrators; prominent names are sustaining the narrative as well. In December, Trump launched “Operation Metro Surge,” a push for increased illegal immigration apprehensions in the Midwest. The resulting increase in ICE presence in Minneapolis sparked criticism from a range of sources, including podcaster Joe Rogan. To his 14.5 million followers, he accused ICE of  “roaming around, snatching people up, many of whom turn out to actually be US citizens” and asked, “Are we really going to be the Gestapo?” [5]. Rogan’s influence cannot be overstated. For the fifth consecutive year, The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast worldwide [6]. Podcast listeners aren’t even his main audience; Rogan’s follower count across social media platforms adds up to nearly 50 million.

Understanding Rogan’s accusation requires a brief refresher on 20th-century history. The Gestapo was Germany’s political police force under the Nazi Regime. The name is a shortened form of “Geheime Staatspolizei,” the German term for “Secret Police.”  Tasked with uncovering and apprehending state enemies, the Gestapo became infamous for its aggressive surveillance and brutal methodology.

Comparisons between the Gestapo and ICE often stem from two angles, the first being omniscience [7]. The Gestapo lacked a uniform, presenting themselves as civilians to maximize covertness [8]. Unidentifiable agents executed surveillance operations that could last months or even years. ICE agents may lack the iconic attire of American police officers, but they are not intentionally, nor legally allowed to be, unidentifiable [9]. ICE marks its uniforms and equipment with “POLICE” or “DHS”. Earthly tones may provide a tactical advantage, but labeled ICE agents are incomparable to cunningly disguised Gestapo operatives.

Politicians have also accused ICE of employing unlawful and inhumane strategies reminiscent of Nazi forces [10]. The Gestapo enjoyed a complete lack of administrative oversight. Without fear of repercussion, agents used torture and extortion to uproot Jewish families and sympathizers. On the other hand, ICE is far from immune to the law, as protestors and media outlets have claimed [11]. As a federal agency, ICE agents are subject to both state and federal prosecution. The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution may afford protection at the state level, but all criminal offenses remain subject to rigorous investigation by the Department of Justice. It goes without saying that Nazi Germany lacked any mechanism of oversight, let alone an entire department dedicated to investigating federal actions. 

A third comparison arises from Rogan’s claim that ICE is “snatching many” American citizens off the street, just as the Gestapo did to Jewish citizens [12]. This parallel is a stark departure from reality. ICE detentions nationwide currently hold 66 thousand individuals [13]. Additionally, the government formally removed 700 thousand migrants in 2025. Of recorded detentions, only 170 have involved American citizens. This means that, statistically, zero percent of ICE detainees are citizens. An adjective other than “many” would have been more appropriate in Rogan’s reference. Still, “roaming” agents did not just “snatch up” Americans. All but 40 citizen detentions resulted from interference with or assault of an officer [14].

Anne Frank and the Streets of Minneapolis

Extreme analogies have not just evoked Nazi forces. The memory of victims has become a political device as well.

When addressing fears of immigration enforcement, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz drew a powerful parallel. “Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Someone is going to write that children’s story about Minnesota,” commented the governor, just days after the detention of Liam Conejo Ramos took the internet by storm. An image of the five-year-old, sporting a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack, being escorted into an ICE vehicle sparked national outrage and violent protest [16].

A child sitting in a detention center rather than a school is nothing to celebrate, but it is far from comparable to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Such a dramatic leap pulls bipartisan interests away from any sort of common ground. Frank and her family hid in an attic for two years to avoid persecution for their Jewish faith. After their discovery by the Gestapo, Anne became one of 1.5 million Jewish children systemically murdered by Nazi forces [17].

Though Liam’s detention caught the nation’s attention, it seems the circumstances surrounding it did not. The nation’s overarching immigration policy targets all “removable aliens, particularly those aliens who threaten the safety or security of the American people” [18]. This policy seems generally inconsistent with the detention of young children. However, to help keep families together amid removal proceedings, President Biden established the Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families in 2021. Under its defining principles, the task force prioritizes the preservation and reunification of migrant families. In Liam’s case, detention was unintended but unavoidable [19]. Liam’s father fled on foot when ICE approached his vehicle, leaving the child unattended. Agents attempted to return Liam to his home, but his mother refused to open the door. Yet one complicated situation incited violent protest and an unsubstantiated narrative.

The Price of Hyperbole

So, opponents of ICE and Donald Trump have cashed in on Holocaust analogies as a rhetorical device. But at what cost? For one, exaggeration and inaccuracy in the press jeopardize an already waning faith in American media. According to the public, trust in prime-time TV and online news is becoming a thing of the past. Only 28 percent of Americans–a historical low–claim to have trust in the nation’s news providers [20]. Just five years ago, this figure was 40 percent. Instead, seven in 10 US adults rate their media confidence as “not very much” or “none at all.” The public is actively divorcing its once-beloved source of information and commentary. As media outlets search for catalysts of distrust, it seems one has infiltrated the very product they are selling. Research shows that Americans, feeling bombarded by information, prefer facts over fiction [21]. Buzzwords like “Nazi” might grab attention, but a departure from the objective truth could further isolate an already skeptical audience. 

Recent immigration discourse is riddled with inconsistency, and the public is noticing. The mainstream media has been quick to criticize family separation happening under the Trump administration [22]. Social media posts have pointed to the policy as “horrifying,” “kidnapping,” and even accused ICE of using children as “bait” [23]. While family separation can be viewed as problematic, it is equally important to acknowledge that it is not an “evil” policy invented by Donald Trump. Without even coverage, misinformation is spreading among an already polarized American society. One viral social media post, with seven million views and over one million likes, quotes a 2009 speech in which Obama claims to target “felons, not families” in his immigration policies [24]. Commenters on the post pointed out that children were not scared under the Obama administration, nor “snatched” off the streets. Clearly, young people are blind to the instances of abuse toward young immigrants that happened under the Obama administration [25]. Still, the mainstream media continues to fuel emotional reactions that pull individuals further from constructive discourse. It's no wonder Americans no longer trust outlets to deliver the news with an even hand.

Were Obama-era deportations as careful as the public believes? Unfortunately, no. In 2012, ICE deported a record number of 409 thousand immigrants, 45 percent of whom had no criminal record [26]. Despite a departure from Obama’s spoken deportation agenda, Obama responded positively to these results. In 2015, he awarded ICE director Tom Homan the Presidential Rank Award, a testament to his “strength, integrity and commitment to public service” [27]. Today, Homan is under fire for the same actions that earned him the nation’s most prestigious public service award. Politicians attempted to prevent Homan from speaking on college campuses, labeling him as “dishonorable” and “un-American” [28]. The deportation of noncriminals, both under Obama and Trump, is an important feature of immigration policy to consider. The fact that the narrative depends on who sits in the Oval Office is a prime example of political motives subverting facts.  

Border Patrol agents face a daunting task. Concerns over border security are rising among the American public. In 2024, 77 percent of Americans–regardless of political affiliation–considered illegal immigration a “big problem” [29]. Securing the border has become a bigger priority than violent crime, gun control, and other hot-ticket political issues. When Trump took office for his second term, the Southern border rose to the top of his to-do list. With the swipe of a pen and congressional consent, ICE’s manpower increased 120 percent [30]. This change helped alleviate Americans' concerns; following the expansion, the number of attempted Southern border crossings each month plummeted from 100 thousand to just 10 thousand [31].

Although this success is promising, personnel increases must be accompanied by an equal expansion of training. But these green officers are facing an unprecedented challenge: violence and hatred from fellow citizens. This negativity is not strictly verbal; one popular trend among protesters involves the assault and destruction of cardboard ICE officers [32]. In January, a Virginia nurse was fired after instructing health care professionals to harm agents. “Grab some syringes with needles on the end,” she recommended, and “have them full of saline or succinylcholine, you know, whatever” [33]. Succinylcholine is a fast-acting muscle paralytic used as a surgical anesthetic. In Los Angeles, mobs attempted to enter a federal detention facility by ramming a shipping container through the front of the building [34]. Protestors rushed the building as officers barricaded the doors, and eventually, the shipping container was set aflame. Such chaos is not likely to reduce violent encounters in the field.

There are certainly issues with current immigration enforcement: deported veterans, the wrongful detention of citizens, and aggression towards peaceful protestors [35]. But hyperbole in the mainstream media is diverting the attention of civilians and politicians alike. Instead of reaching solutions, valuable time in the House is being spent on projecting or dispelling Holocaust rhetoric [36]. Even outspoken opponents of the current administration have come out to discourage the appropriation of a horrible historical moment. “The minute you play the ‘Hitler’ card, you’ve lost the argument,” noted Bill Maher, a self-proclaimed harsh critic of the Trump administration [37]. Historical events offer opportunities to learn and reflect, but their misuse draws people away from past and present truths. 

Anne Frank and six million other Jews were systemically exterminated for their faith. The United States offers unlawful residents $3,000 and a free plane ticket home [38]. Drawing a comparison between the two is not only inaccurate but also unproductive. Immigration enforcement affects all Americans and must be handled with care. Productive political conversations stem from facts, not fiction.