Unhinged Minnesota Business Owner Claims ICE Will Start “Putting People in Ovens”

He told CNN that ICE is “kidnapping family members and friends to send them to concentration camps."

This article originally appeared on m o d e r n i t y and was republished with permission.

Guest post by @ModernityNews

An unhinged leftist business owner from Minnesota told CNN’s Jake Tapper that there is no question ICE is running “concentration camps” and that federal officers could start “putting people in ovens” soon.

Tapper was platforming the deranged lunatic as a smattering of leftist-leaning shops in the city have shuttered their doors in “solidarity” against basic immigration enforcement, painting law-abiding agents as invaders while conveniently ignoring the chaos of open borders.

Jamie Schwesnedl, co-owner of Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis was there to explain why his business had closed for the day in protest against ICE operations, yet Tapper was provided a peak under that veneer and into the world of TDS radicalism.

“We can’t do business as usual right now, anyway, because our city has been invaded by masked gunmen kidnapping family members and friends and neighbors of ours to send them to concentration camps,” Schwesnedl proclaimed.

He added, “Additionally, there’s a lot of businesses in our area that have staff or customers or owners who are afraid to come to work, afraid to come in and shop. People are closing down today, and we felt like it wouldn’t be kind or fair for us to stay open, so we’re closing in solidarity to help send a message.”

This over-the-top rhetoric frames ICE agents – who are simply doing their job to enforce laws passed by Congress – as some kind of Nazi militia. It’s a classic leftist tactic: demonize border control to keep the floodgates open, even as communities suffer from the fallout of Biden-era lax policies that invited millions across unchecked.

Things escalated when Schwesnedl doubled down on his terminology, prompting Tapper to interject. The CNN host, known for his establishment leanings, surprisingly pushed back, stating “Just one note, I’m not here to defend ICE, but I’m not a big fan of people using the term ‘concentration camp’ to describe detention camps. That has a very specific meaning.”

Schwesnedl wasn’t deterred. He fired back with historical references twisted to fit his narrative. “I understand that, but they take people to Fort Snelling here, which literally was built as a concentration camp, and Alligator Alcatraz, which I think we can all agree is a concentration camp,” he replied.

Then came the kicker. “I’m not saying they’re Dachau. I’m not saying they’re putting people in ovens — yet — but these are concentration camps. I don’t need to argue with you about that.”

That “— yet —” slips in like a Freudian admission, hinting at the wild conspiracy theories bubbling under the surface of anti-ICE activism. It’s not just exaggeration; it’s a deliberate smear against efforts to secure the nation, echoing the same hysteria that labeled Trump-era policies as “fascist” while ignoring the human trafficking and fentanyl crises fueled by porous borders.

For context, ICE detention facilities are civil holding centers for noncitizens caught illegally in the U.S., awaiting due process or deportation. They’re a far cry from the historical concentration camps Schwesnedl invokes, like those under Nazi Germany, which were instruments of genocide. Fort Snelling, a 19th-century military site in Minnesota, has a complex history including internment of Native Americans, but equating it to modern ICE ops is a stretch designed to inflame rather than inform.

The remarks underscore how these protests rely on emotional hyperbole over facts. In addition, the store closures involved only a “handful” of businesses, hardly a mass uprising, hardly worth even mentioning, yet CNN amplifies it as if it’s a national crisis.

Tapper’s stunned reaction highlights a rare crack in the media facade: even CNN hosts balk at rhetoric that veers into Holocaust trivialization. But Schwesnedl’s refusal to back down shows the depths of progressive entitlement, where enforcing borders is akin to invasion, and detaining lawbreakers is oppression.

It’s the perfect snapshot of leftist media propagandists and TDS activists spiraling as America First policies finally bite back against unchecked migration. Instead of addressing real community threats like crime waves tied to illegal entries, they’re equating detentions to historical atrocities – all to stir fear and undermine border security.

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