Jeff Sessions says child migrant holding cages not like Nazi Germany 'because they were keeping Jews from leaving'
Attorney general rubbishes comparison with unusual line of reasoning
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Accusations that child detention facilities on the US-Mexican border are similar to Nazi concentration camps were always likely to be rebuked by the White House – but perhaps no one quite expected Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ line of reasoning.
“This is a real exaggeration,” he told Fox News. “Because in Nazi Germany they were keeping the Jews from leaving the country.”
Even the avowedly conservative presenter Laura Ingraham seemed momentarily taken aback with the response, quickly moving the subject on.
Attorney General Sessions had gone live on the show to defend Donald Trump’s migration family separation policy, which has seen around 2,000 illegal immigrant children taken from their parents and placed in wire-cage holding cells.
Earlier, Democrat senator Dianne Feinstein had been among several politicians and commentators to say the actions were comparable with Hitler's Germany.
But Attorney General Sessions said: “We're doing the right thing. We're taking care of these children," adding "they are not being abused".
He said: “We have watched what happened with the Obama policies, and over years, we went from 15,000 illegal entries to 75,000. This is a huge loophole in our system that's attracting more and more people, as more and more people understand that, under previous policies, if they enter the country unlawfully, that nothing will happen.”
Under President Trump’s directions, adults crossing the border illegally are taken immediately for criminal prosecution, while children are moved separately to detainment centres where some are being held in wire cages.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments