Ten years ago, any comparison made between Trump’s America and Hitler’s Germany may have seemed hyperbolic. But now, in his second term, the dictatorial nature of the Trump administration seems to have glaring issues. Perhaps the most unprecedented example of this is how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being used in America’s cities. A quick scroll on any major social media site and you will see what a lot of people are saying–that ICE, the federal agency formed to protect this country’s borders, is now behaving like the Gestapo–the primary force for control within Germany during the Third Reich.
Why, among all possible comparisons, is this one being made? With a history so intense and sensitive as Nazi Germany, its invocation will either be blatant slander, or real fear of an uncanny resemblance. But does ICE really resemble the Gestapo? In a few ways it does; first and foremost, in its purpose. The fact of the matter is, this administration has taken a page out of the fascist playbook. The demand for control and obedience.
It does not take a scholar of political history to see what ICE is being used for right now. Every president since the agency’s inception has used it to capture supposed illegal immigrants. The main difference now, alongside the volume of arrests, is the theatrical nature of them. The Trump administration wishes to strike fear into those they have deemed undesirable, and those who do not agree can easily get caught in the crossfire. Unmarked vans and masked agents of ornery temperament and dubious morals are Trump’s ideal symbol of control.
This is far from the first time the word ‘gestapo’ has been used in American politics. Both sides have in the past used the term for one reason or another. What is different this time around is the tangibility that American people have when grappling with this issue. We are used to the government operating squarely within the confines of Washington, so when we see armed federal agents on the streets of our cities, the image smacks of authoritarianism. But are Americans right to continue making this comparison?
So long as ICE is in American streets, scooping up immigrants and threatening dissenters, it is inevitable that we will continue hearing the word ‘gestapo’. While historical comparison can be a strong tool for any critic of an administration, it is worth looking at the present moment–the circumstances surrounding what is happening and what led up to it. That is not to say all the critics are simply the boy who cried Nazi, so to speak. Regarding the past and its mistakes, look but don’t stare. It can be very easy to use the pain and sensitivity of 1930s Germany as ammunition for your fight; but just as WWII was an immensely complex moment socially and geopolitically, so too is our moment.
Unlike ninety years ago, we today have a frame of reference for meteoric authoritarianism and all that surrounds it. This reference should provide us with a better understanding of ourselves and our issues; not simply loaded terminology, however accurate it may seem.
