Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lambasted congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Monday for her comparison of the migrants trekking toward the U.S. in the latest Central American caravan to the Jews who fled Germany during the Holocaust and other targets of genocide.

Thousands of migrants from Central American have crossed into Mexico with the intention of crossing the border into the U.S. Most of them are young single men.

Close

Approximately 6,000 U.S. troops have been helping to bolster border security efforts in anticipation of the migrants’ arrival — and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis revealed last Wednesday that President Donald Trump had given him the authority to use lethal force, if necessary, to guard the safety and well-being of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel.

The CBP revealed that some migrants “attempted to illegally enter the U.S.,” noting that “those persons were stopped and turned back to Mexico.”

Some migrants also threw what appeared to be rocks at officials.

Ocasio-Cortez (pictured above left) responded to a tweet from NBC News over the weekend with a picture depicting “a migrant family, part of a caravan of thousands traveling from Central America en route to the United States, [that] runs away from tear gas in front of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Tijuana, Mexico.”

Related: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Compares Caravan Migrants to Jews Fleeing the Nazis

“Asking to be considered a refugee & applying for status isn’t a crime,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Sunday evening.

“It wasn’t for Jewish families fleeing Germany. It wasn’t for targeted families fleeing Rwanda. It wasn’t for communities fleeing war-torn Syria.”

“And it isn’t for those fleeing violence in Central America,” she wrote.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

But Graham (above right) would not and could not tolerate that kind of comparison from Ocasio-Cortez.

“I recommend she take a tour of the Holocaust Museum in D.C. Might help her better understand the differences between the Holocaust and the caravan in Tijuana,” Graham replied to Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter.

Others also piled on Ocasio-Cortez after she made the comparison, calling it ill-advised and inappropriate.

Yossi Gestetner, a Jewish public relations specialist, reacted on Twitter: “My grandparents lost their parents & siblings in the Holocaust. One of them also lost their spouse and both children. Despite this horror (that no one in the caravan suffered), their journey did not include rushing a border/throwing rocks. They came legally into the U.S. in [the] 1950s.”

New York State Assembly Member Dov Hikind, a Democrat, tweeted, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets the ignorance award. Someone should educate her about precisely what the Holocaust was all about.”

Arthur Schwartz, a public relations adviser, wrote, “Hey @Ocasio2018. Next time you want to compare Holocaust victims to the illegal immigrant caravan members, just don’t.”

“Lying about your circumstances is a crime. And for the thousandth time, stop comparing the political stunt of the day to the Holocaust. It’s offensive,” Schwartz insisted.

Conservative lawyer Josh Hammer pleaded, “Can we please, please all agree to leave Jews fleeing the Holocaust out of our tendentious political talking points for completely unrelated topics?”

Actor and aspiring politician Antonio Sabàto Jr. wrote, “So insulting to my family and especially my grandmother who survived the Holocaust.”

Communications strategist Liz Mair tweeted, “It really is amateur hour, huh? I’m extremely sensitive to the plight of what inevitably will be at least SOME of the people in the caravan. But making Holocaust comparisons never works out well in politics.”