Ocasio-Cortez: United States Ran ‘Concentration Camps’ During World War II

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed on Wednesday that the United States ran “concentration camps” during World War II at the same time that Nazi Germany was systematically murdering millions of Jews in concentration camps.

“The US ran concentration camps before, when we rounded up Japanese people during WWII,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “It is such a shameful history that we largely ignore it. These camps occur throughout history. Many refuse to learn from that shame, but here we are today. We have an obligation to end them.”

In a brief interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that there was a “very clear academic consensus” that her comments about “concentration camps” were correct. Ocasio-Cortez then doubled down on her false claim that the United States operated concentration camps during World War II.

Acting ICE Director Mark Morgan slammed Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday for her false comparison of detention facilities to concentration camps.

“Its completely inappropriate, it’s reckless, it’s irresponsible, it’s misinformed, and it’s flat out wrong,” Morgan told The Hill. “There is so much oversight in these facilities, we have [Inspector General] report after IG report, we have non-government organizations, NGOs, that are constantly providing a double check on that.”

“I encourage the check and balance, I encourage inspections,” Morgan added. “I feel very satisfied that if you go to these facilities, whether its a border patrol facility or an HHS facility or an ICE facility that there will be safe and adequate conditions to detain individuals.”

Yad Vashem — the world center for Holocaust research, documentation, education and commemoration — tweeted at Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday: “.@AOC Concentration camps assured a slave labor supply to help in the Nazi war effort, even as the brutality of life inside the camps helped assure the ultimate goal of ‘extermination through labor.'”

Multiple Jewish groups slammed Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday over her remarks about the Holocaust and concentration camps, encouraging her to visit a concentration camp and saying that she does not belong in Congress.