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Democratic lawmakers compared Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to Nazis and the Gestapo during a heated House Homeland Security Committee hearing Tuesday, as the agency’s acting director faced sharp questioning over enforcement tactics and accountability.
The exchange turned explosive when Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., pressed ICE acting director Todd Lyons on whether agents have been asking people on the streets to show proof of U.S. citizenship, citing reports claiming that American citizens have allegedly been questioned during immigration enforcement actions.
Goldman escalated the line of questioning by invoking historical comparisons, asking pointedly, “Is Nazi Germany one?” after Lyons acknowledged that “very nefarious regimes” had required proof of citizenship. Goldman also pressed Lyons on whether the Soviet Union employed similar tactics.
Lyons pushed back, calling the comparison inappropriate and “the wrong type of questioning,” before snapping, saying, “The Holocaust Museum is on 14th Street and Independence. If you want to go see Nazis, that’s where it is.”
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Goldman reclaimed his time and accused ICE leadership of having it “backwards,” arguing that public criticism of the agency stemmed from its own conduct.
“People are simply making valid observations about your tactics, which are un-American and outright fascist,” Goldman said. “So I have a simple suggestion. If you don’t want to be called a fascist regime or secret police, then stop acting like one.”
Goldman’s questioning followed Lyons’ own testimony earlier in the hearing, in which the ICE acting director said agents have been labeled “Gestapo or secret police” by elected officials and activists. Lyons tied that rhetoric to what he described as a sharp rise in threats and assaults against ICE personnel, saying it has endangered agents and their families.
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Nazi references surfaced elsewhere during the hearing as well. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., cited “Greg Bovino, who styled himself in Nazi attire,” while criticizing federal immigration operations in Minnesota and the use of masked agents during recent enforcement actions.
The hearing focused on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and its immigration enforcement agencies amid questions about the limited use of body cameras, particularly following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.
Lawmakers raised concerns about agents operating in masks or unmarked gear, whether encounters involving U.S. citizens are being adequately documented and whether the lack of body-camera footage has hindered transparency and accountability in recent use-of-force incidents.
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Under questioning, Lyons acknowledged that only a fraction of ICE agents are currently equipped with body cameras, as lawmakers pressed the agency to expand their use and release footage to the public.
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