Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) is facing criticism online after reciting a poem during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday that referenced President Donald Trump and Latino day laborers outside Home Depot stores.
“First, they came for the Latinos outside of the Home Depots trying to get work so that they could feed their families,” Johnson said. “And I didn’t say anything about it because I’m not a Latino at the Home Depot.”
Democrat Hank Johnson: “First, they came for the Latinos outside of the Home Depots trying to get work so that they could feed their families.”
“I didn’t say anything about it, because I’m not a Latino at the Home Depot.”
“Then they came for the Hispanic looking folks wearing… pic.twitter.com/sMPpZmG1gr
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 30, 2025
The remarks, delivered in the cadence of “First They Came,” a postwar prose piece by German pastor Martin Niemöller about the silent complicity of citizens during the rise of the Nazis, continued with Johnson referencing deportations of Latinos, women, and even college students on visas.
“Then they came for the Hispanic-looking folks, wearing hats backward with tattoos, and they deported them to El Salvador,” he said. “Then they came for the Latinas at home, taking care of the children … one of whom was receiving treatment for cancer. … Then they came back for the students studying on the college campuses. … Then they came and arrested a white female judge. … And then they came for me. And I looked around, and there was nobody left because I had remained silent.”
Johnson said his comments were meant to underscore constitutional protections for all people.
“Everyone is entitled to due process, whether or not you are documented or undocumented, whether or not you are a citizen or not,” Johnson said. “That is well-established law that is being ignored, along with other parts of our Constitution, by this lawless tyrant who is our president.”
The remarks sparked swift backlash on social media, with some critics accusing Johnson of trivializing serious issues and making inappropriate Holocaust comparisons.
“There is obvious absurd humor in this grotesque display,” a social media user wrote on X. “Don’t let it distract from the common congressional apologia for cheap labor servitude by foreign workers.”
Another user added, “They are trying to draw a parallel with the Holocaust. Despicable.”
He also accused Trump of promoting “chainsaw thinking,” which he said threatens future generations.
“We’re also suffering from this chainsaw maniac,” Johnson said during the hearing.
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This is not the first time Johnson has drawn attention for controversial comments. In 2012, he apologized for using the word “midget” during a House floor speech criticizing Michigan’s right-to-work law. “What happens when you put in a cage fight a giant with a midget?” he asked. “The midget will not win. … But if you put 30 midgets in with that giant, then the midgets have a chance.”
In 2010, Johnson was mocked after suggesting during a House Armed Services Committee hearing that the U.S. territory of Guam could “tip over” from overpopulation. “My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize,” he told Adm. Robert Willard, who calmly responded, “We don’t anticipate that.”