Former DHS official calls Walz's comparison of immigrant children to Anne Frank 'disgusting,' inflammatory

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Former DHS official calls Walz's comparison of immigrant children to Anne Frank 'disgusting,' inflammatory

Holocaust Memorial Museum rebukes Minnesota governor's analogy as 'deeply offensive' amid record antisemitism surge

Max Bacall Fox News

Published

January 27, 2026 5:07pm EST

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Frey, Walz slammed for 'stirring up' anti-ICE chaos in Minneapolis

Former acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli argues that rhetoric from leaders Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey is fueling hate against federal agents.

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Former acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli slammed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after Walz likened the fear of children hiding from immigration enforcement to that of Holocaust victim Anne Frank, calling the comparison "disgusting."

Walz made the remark Sunday at a press conference."We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank," Walz said. "Somebody's gonna write that children's story about Minnesota."

A split photo shows MN Gov. Tim Walz and Anne Frank

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faces criticism after comparing children hiding from ICE to Anne Frank. Former DHS deputy Ken Cuccinelli called the analogy "disgusting." (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images; Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who hid with her family from the Nazis during World War II. They spent about two years hiding out in a secret annex above her father's former business before they were discovered in a raid. Anne died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at age 15 and later became world-renowned after her father published the diary she kept during their time in hiding.

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Cuccinelli argued Tuesday on "The Faulkner Focus" that Walz aimed to whip up his supporters with inflammatory language as ICE operations and protests roil Minnesota.

"His goal is this chaos," Cuccinelli said. "He thinks it hurts Trump more than it hurts Governor Walz."

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Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. January 5, 2026. (Reuters/Tim Evans)

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Cuccinelli asserted that Walz and those espousing similar rhetoric are fine with the idea that people could get hurt or die because of it.

"That's how far they'll go in their political virtue signaling," he said. "They are willing to risk and sacrifice the people who they're encouraging to come out and obstruct law enforcement."

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The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum rebuked Walz's analogy, writing, "Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges."

The Anti-Defamation League reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents in America in 2024, a record number that marks a 344% increase over the past five years and a 893% increase over the past decade.

Max Bacall is an Associate Editor for the Flash/Media/Culture team at Fox News Digital.

Former DHS official calls Walz's comparison of immigrant children to Anne Frank 'disgusting,' inflammatory