SouthernWorldwide.com – House Democrats have publicly distanced themselves from Texas congressional candidate Maureen Galindo due to her recent remarks advocating for the repurposing of ICE detention centers into prisons for “American Zionists.”
Representative John Olszewski, a Democrat from Maryland, stated that such rhetoric has no place in politics and should not be tolerated in the House of Representatives. He emphasized that he could not support a candidate who expresses such views.
Representative Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York, described Galindo’s statements as “demented,” suggesting there was something fundamentally wrong with her thinking.
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The strong backlash followed Galindo’s social media posts where she pledged to transform ICE detention centers into a “prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers.” These comments sparked accusations of antisemitism from across the political spectrum.
In the same Instagram post, Galindo also suggested that the proposed prison would serve as a castration center for pedophiles, adding that “which will probably be most of the Zionists.”
Representative Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts, expressed that she was hearing about the issue for the first time and had to leave for a committee meeting.
Representative Ami Bera, a Democrat from California, also stated that he had not been aware of the situation but believed that anyone making such remarks was problematic.
Representative James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, indicated that he had no knowledge of the specifics concerning Texas.
Leading Democrats have also accused Republicans of contributing to the elevation of Galindo’s candidacy in Texas’ 35th Congressional District. This district is currently held by a Democrat, and Republicans are aiming to win the seat in the upcoming November midterms.
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This effort to shift blame towards Republicans emerged after circulating accusations suggested that the super PAC “Lead Left,” which has invested approximately $900,000 in promoting Galindo, has connections to the Republican Party.
However, no concrete evidence has surfaced to demonstrate Republican control over the PAC. Despite this, prominent House Democrats were quick to criticize the GOP for any potential involvement.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, issued a joint statement asserting that “MAGA extremists should be ashamed of themselves.”
Representative Pete Aguilar, a Democrat from California, condemned the comments as “disgusting” and stated they must be unequivocally denounced. He also questioned why Republicans would invest a million dollars to support her candidacy.
Galindo had also stated in her post that if elected to Congress, she would work to pass legislation that would classify all forms of Zionism and support for Zionism as antisemitic. While she has denied being antisemitic herself, she clarified that she is opposed to “Zionist Jews.”
Representative Jonathan Jackson, a Democrat from Illinois, when asked about Galindo’s remarks, emphasized the collective responsibility to take a stand against antisemitism.
Following the significant controversy generated by these posts, Galindo released a video on Facebook to address the antisemitic accusations. She claimed that she never called for Jewish people to be imprisoned, but rather that her intention was to “put billionaire American Zionists who are funding the genocidal prison systems involved in trafficking into prison.”
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Galindo further stated her opposition to all internment camps, expressing a desire to see them shut down as soon as possible, specifically mentioning those in South Texas, referring to ICE detention centers.
Galindo is scheduled to face congressional candidate Johnny Garcia in the Texas Democratic primary on Tuesday.
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Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, when questioned about the possibility of pursuing her expulsion from Congress if elected, expressed confidence that the voters in the district, a significant portion of which he represented for a decade, would support Johnny Garcia, implying Galindo would not succeed.
