Immigration Under Trump: Holocaust Survivor Warns ICE Raids Signal 'End Of Justice'

A Holocaust survivor condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a town hall Tuesday for reportedly waiting outside of courthouses and religious institutions nationwide to detain undocumented immigrants since President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20.

Mark Bernard, an immigrant who was held captive in Auschwitz and Dachau in Germany under the Nazi regime, reportedly told immigration officials, "don’t forget – history is not on your side." His comments came before protests took over the Sacramento event in demonstration against the Trump administration’s hardliner stance on immigrant detention and deportations.

Read: How Donald Trump May Be Creating Fake News About Immigrants Every Week

"When I was a little boy in Poland, for no other reason but for being Jewish, I was hauled off by the Nazis," Bernard said Tuesday. "And for no other reason I was picked up and separated from my family, who was exterminated in Auschwitz."

The statement came during a town hall featuring Scott Jones, Sacramento county sheriff, as well as Thomas Homan, acting director of ICE. Bernard spoke directly to the local sheriff, saying the official had an obligation to serve the people in his jurisdiction rather than complying with Trump’s immigration agenda.

"I spent five and a half years in concentration camps, for one reason and one reason only—because we picked on people," Bernard said. "And you as the sheriff, who we elected as sheriff of this county — we did not elect you for sheriff of Washington, D.C. It’s about time you side with the people here."

Tuesday's town hall followed California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye's letter to immigration officials earlier this month requesting federal agents stop "stalking undocumented immigrants" outside of her state’s courthouses, writing: "I'm afraid that will be the end of justice, and communities will be less safe and victimization will continue."

Bernard referred to Cantil-Sakauye’s letter, saying ICE wasn't being forthcoming with the public by denying that agents had been detaining immigrants near courthouses since Trump became president. The exchange prompted audience members to begin chanting "Lies!" after Homan replied the agency "prioritize criminals" above other undocumented immigrants for deportation.