A Georgia state lawmaker derided U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for a raid at a metro Atlanta Walmart for using “the same chilling tactics used in pre–Nazi Germany” only to backtrack — for mistaking the location where the arrest happened.
Georgia Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, said “people claiming to be ICE” took someone from a Riverdale Walmart. However, they “provided no identification, no paperwork and no explanation.”
Also, Bell later clarified that the arrest allegedly occurred at a Home Depot in Riverdale.
“Let me be clear: this is not law enforcement — this is human trafficking at its finest,” Bell said in his initial statement.
“I call for the immediate release of the individual taken, and a full investigation into this rogue operation,” the lawmaker added. “Our communities will not be terrorized by the same chilling tactics used in pre–Nazi Germany. We will not be silent while our neighbors are snatched from public spaces by unidentified agents of fear.”
It doesn’t appear ICE has announced the arrest in the news section of its website or elsewhere. A spokesperson from the federal agency did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the apprehension in question.
“Eyewitnesses say both Latino and Black individuals were forcibly taken by masked, unidentified agents in paramilitary-style gear,” the lawmaker said in his follow-up statement.
Bell, who was elected to the state legislature during a 2023 special election, did not respond to requests for comment on the appropriateness of referencing “pre–Nazi Germany,” particularly given the number of antisemitic attacks nationwide, such as a June 1 attack in Boulder, Colorado. He also didn’t clarify if he was referencing the Weimar Republic or if he meant Nazi Germany.
“I apologize for the confusion, and I hope no harm has been done to Walmart’s reputation as a result,” Bell said in a follow-up statement. “While I remain critical of their alleged labor practices—such as failing to pay living wages, withholding full-time benefits and resisting efforts to improve working conditions—this mistake was mine, and I take responsibility for it.”
According to Bell, Herman “Drew” Andrews, chair of the Clayton County Democratic Party, recovered a cell phone and a backpack left behind at the scene. The phone received calls from concerned, French-speaking people, including one from Senegal, asking for someone named Muhammad. No additional details were included in Bell’s statement.
His follow-up statement referenced Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary about her life hiding during Germany’s occupation of the Netherlands. Her family was arrested in 1944, and she died in early 1945.
Bell also included “some resources to help you understand your rights when interacting with ICE or immigration officials” in the release distributed by the official Georgia House media office. The lawmaker also shared the “resources,” which included a link to information from the American Civil Liberties Union, on his Facebook page.
Invoking Nazis in some form or fashion is a favorite of left-leaning politicians. However, few media outlets call them out for using such language.
Georgia Sen. Emanuel Jones, D–Decatur, who issued a statement condemning the Boulder attack, declined to weigh in on Bell’s use of “pre–Nazi Germany,” according to the Georgia Senate Press Office.
“The Democrats and media have overused these phrases to the point where they don’t mean anything anymore,” The Hill quoted a national Republican political operative as saying. “You would think after two failed assassination attempts that they would have stopped using these ridiculous and loaded terms about [President] Trump and his supporters, but instead, they’ve doubled down.”
The piece began with a mention of former Democratic Vice President Al Gore comparing the Trump administration to Nazis.
