Holocaust Survivor’s 2017 Warning to ICE Director Resurfaces Amid Immigration Debate
A powerful speech from Holocaust survivor Bernard Marks has resurfaced online, once again sparking conversation about immigration policy and historical accountability.
In 2017, during a public forum in California, Marks directly addressed then-ICE Director Thomas Homan and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. Wearing a sticker that read “Keep American Families Together,” Marks offered a sobering warning: “History is not on your side.”
Marks, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz and Dachau, told the audience that his entire family was murdered during the Holocaust simply because they were Jewish. Drawing on that painful past, he criticized aggressive immigration enforcement efforts and urged local authorities not to support federal deportation initiatives.
“I spent five and a half years in concentration camps because we picked on people,” Marks said, drawing an emotional connection between the discrimination of the past and the treatment of immigrants today.
His words struck a chord with many, highlighting the need to reflect on historical injustices when shaping modern policies. The emotional moment has regained attention on social media, resonating strongly amid renewed national debates around immigration and human rights.
Before his passing in 2018 at the age of 89, Bernard Marks remained a passionate advocate for social justice, Holocaust education, and the power of remembrance. He often reminded others that “we can have a better country… a country without hate.”
