Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew criticism after she said the United States is “running concentration camps on our southern border” during an Instagram live.
She said: “The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border and that is exactly what they are.
I want to talk to the people that are concerned enough with humanity to say that ‘never again’ means something and that the fact that concentration camps are now in institutionalised practise in the home of the free is extraordinarily disturbing.
We need to do something about it. This week children – immigrant children – were moved to the same internment camps that the Japanese were held in the earlier twentieth century and this is not just about immigrant communities being held in concentration camps being a crisis, this is a crisis for ourselves.
A crisis on if America will remain America.
‘The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is exactly what they are. They a… https://t.co/wwhP5pyYYT— NowThis (@NowThis) 1560897780
Some people online took offence to calling them "concentration camps," accusing her of hyperbole.
Ocasio-Cortez falsely claims Trump is operating concentration camps, compares the situation to the Holocaust: “The… https://t.co/BuiqtoFhg2— Ryan Saavedra (@Ryan Saavedra) 1560833948
AOC compares Trump to Hitler here: -‘Never Again’ references the Holocaust -Concentration camps are a reference to… https://t.co/6767D6vs8z— Ryan Saavedra (@Ryan Saavedra) 1560834553
@RealSaavedra The knee-jerk reaction to AOC’s lies would be to debunk them. But I’m not going to this time. If she… https://t.co/Uenq7QrZlB— JD Rucker (@JD Rucker) 1560850563
The Holocaust is "not a political prop".
6 million Jews died in Nazi concentration camps. My father survived 3 of them before the @USArmy liberated him.… https://t.co/MXg6U7xscj— Chaim Deutsch (@Chaim Deutsch) 1560891108
What I don’t get is why liberals can’t just admit it was a seriously stupid comparison for AOC to make between bord… https://t.co/58N6QeBDSd— Jessica O’Donnell (@Jessica O’Donnell) 1560900730
.@AOC is a total disgrace. NO ONE IS forcing anyone to cross the border illegally/break our laws. Also, they are… https://t.co/9eHSIuE6KT— Stephanie Hamill (@Stephanie Hamill) 1560901244
In response to criticism, AOC doubled down on her comments.
And for the shrieking Republicans who don’t know the difference: concentration camps are not the same as death camps. Concentration camps are considered by experts as “the mass detention of civilians without trial.” And that’s exactly what this administration is doing.
And for the shrieking Republicans who don’t know the difference: concentration camps are not the same as death camp… https://t.co/ex8Ax6FqG1— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1560868312
One historian agreed that Trump is putting immigrants into concentration camps.
As historian of fascism & Holocaust, I would also call these centers concentrations camps. As a Jewish person who l… https://t.co/Rx4tke5GT3— Finchelstein (@Finchelstein) 1560895380
Others followed suit.
When Congresswoman @AOC refers to these places near the border as "concentration camps", where protocol is still se… https://t.co/VZA0HvZFoH— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈) 1560894831
Including a former US Holocaust Memorial Museum worker.
Hi @Liz_Cheney, I worked at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where I gave tours to tens of thousands of folks, i… https://t.co/koUrvOFnjO— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈) 1560894826
And Jewish people are endorsing AOC's statements too.
Hello I'm Jewish and endorse this. @AOC is 100% right to call these concentration camps because they are. thank you… https://t.co/Kp8sp0bIX3— (((Sammy Chavin))) (@(((Sammy Chavin)))) 1560906665
"Never again is now."
Ok, Internet. Time to learn the difference between concentration camps and death (“extermination”) camps. Germany… https://t.co/Zsr7Lj72pV— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg) 1560544812
The Trump administration announced that it will be detaining undocumented immigrant children caught at the border at a former World War II era Japanese American internment camp.
Mitchell Maki, president and CEO of Japanese American history nonprofit Go For Broke National Education Center, told HuffPost.
The prolonged detention of migrant children is a practice that must be a critical concern for all Americans.