Democratic politician Maureen Galindo, who is running for a Congressional seat in Texas, sparked controversy when she vowed to convert an ICE facility into a "prison for American Zionists" and to "castrate pedophiles," who she claimed would mostly be Zionists.
In a post to Instagram last week, Galindo stated that she would “turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking," adding that the facility would “also be a castration processing center for pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists."
The post further claimed that she would attempt to pass legislation declaring Zionism itself as antisemitic, since, according to her, "it is Zionists who are harming the semites."
Galindo, a sex therapist by profession, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Texas's 35th Congressional District, and is scheduled to face Johnny Garcia in a runoff primary vote for the nomination next week after winning the most votes in the initial primary with 27%.
She has been accused of antisemitism for past statements, including claiming that “Zionist billionaire Jews" control the world.
House Democratic Leaders condemned Galindo's latest antisemitic remarks and stated that she does not have a place in the Democratic Party.
“This vile language by her is disqualifying and has no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and and Rep. Suzan DelBene in a joint statement.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, herself a strong critic of Israel, called Galindo's comments “absolutely disgusting. This bigoted garbage and antisemitism should be nowhere near our politics."