A Democratic candidate running for a congressional seat in southern Texas called for turning an ICE detention center into a prison for "American Zionists and former ICE officers", and proposed it would double as a "castration processing center for pedophiles," which her campaign said would "probably be most of the Zionists."
Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and the top vote-getter in the Texas District 35 Democratic primary, made the remarks through her campaign's Instagram account. The comments drew immediate condemnation from antisemitism watchdogs and her own Democratic runoff opponent, even as both national parties traded blame over who bears responsibility for her rise.
The district, a strip of land stretching from San Antonio to the suburbs of Austin, currently held by Rep. Greg Casar, is heading into a runoff election next Tuesday. Galindo took 29.2% in the March primary. Her opponent, former Bexar County public information officer Johnny Garcia, finished with 27%. No candidate secured a majority, pushing both into the head-to-head contest now consuming the race.
The New York Post reported that Galindo's campaign wrote on Instagram:
"When Maureen gets into Congress, she'll write legislation so that all Zionism and support of Zionism is undoubtedly Anti-Semitic, since it's Zionism harming the Semites."
The post continued with a specific threat directed at a real federal facility, the Karnes Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center:
"She'll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking. (It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles which will probably be most of the Zionists)."
Read that again. A candidate seeking a seat in the United States Congress proposed legislation equating support for Zionism with antisemitism, called for jailing American citizens based on their political views, and then smeared an entire group as likely pedophiles deserving castration. This is not a fringe social-media troll. This is the leading Democrat in a competitive Texas House race.
The Instagram comments were not an isolated outburst. Throughout the campaign cycle, Galindo has railed against Zionists. Her campaign also alleged, without evidence, that Garcia was "being paid to put Jews and Mexicans in concentration camps via Zionist trafficking networks." She attacked what she called "Jews who own Hollywood," a well-known antisemitic trope. And she has called for Garcia to face trial for treason.
Mailers supporting Galindo boasted that she planned to push to impeach President Trump and tear apart ICE. The combination of open antisemitism and promises to dismantle immigration enforcement paints a picture of a candidate operating well outside the mainstream, yet still leading her primary field.
That pattern makes the silence from top Democratic leaders all the more conspicuous. Galindo's past business activity as an astrology-themed sex therapist had already drawn scrutiny. The antisemitic statements take the controversy to a different level entirely.
Johnny Garcia, Galindo's Democratic opponent, posted criticism on X on May 19, 2026. His campaign account wrote:
"Thank you for calling it out, Jon! #TX35 residents are struggling to put gas in their tank and buy groceries. Instead of focusing on table-kitchen issues my opponent is pushing conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric. That's why Republicans are spending to boost her campaign."
Garcia's claim about Republican spending centers on Lead Left PAC, which Federal Election Commission filings show has spent some $428,713 backing Galindo. Democrats believe the actual figure is even higher. Across three House Democratic primary races, the PAC has spent over $1 million, according to FEC records.
Before the March primary, Galindo had raised under $10,000 on her own, per FEC records. The gap between her anemic fundraising and the outside money pouring in on her behalf raises an obvious question: who decided this candidate was worth backing, and did anyone bother to read her Instagram?
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus told the Post that the fault lies with Republicans:
"At a time when antisemitism is at historic levels, Republicans' dirty campaign tricks aren't just cynical, they're extremely dangerous. Republicans are spending nearly $1 million to uplift a violent antisemite, no matter what your politics are, using virulent antisemitism for your own partisan gain is nothing short of disgusting."
The DCCC's argument is that Republicans spent money to boost Galindo precisely because she is a weak and toxic general-election candidate, a tactic that, if true, would make the GOP complicit in elevating her antisemitism. It is a charge worth examining. But it also conveniently deflects from the more uncomfortable reality: Galindo won the most votes in a Democratic primary. Democratic voters put her in front.
The ongoing feuding over House primary candidates inside the Democratic Party is not a new phenomenon. What is new is the degree of open antisemitism a Democratic candidate can espouse while still leading the pack.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez offered a different read:
"Democrats Johnny Garcia and Maureen Galindo are tearing each other apart in a full-blown primary civil war, turning their own races into a circular firing squad."
Martinez added that "Hakeem Jeffries' pathetic handpicked candidates were already staggering through the cycle with embarrassing fundraising numbers, zero grassroots energy, and no real support from Texans." House Minority Leader Jeffries has not publicly addressed Galindo's statements.
The antisemitism watchdog group StopAntisemitism issued a pointed challenge to Democratic leadership. The group said:
"The standard that Democrats rightly apply to right-wing antisemites must apply equally to left-wing Jew-haters. Democratic leaders must clearly, publicly denounce these bigots infecting their party without hedging. They must decline to appear on platforms with Hasan Piker. They must stop winking at extremist voices and truly stand for the principles they claim to stand for."
That demand cuts to the core of the issue. When antisemitism surfaces on the right, Democratic leaders are quick, and usually correct, to demand condemnation. The question is whether they apply the same standard when the offender wears their own jersey. So far, the answer from the top of the party has been silence.
The broader pattern is not limited to Texas. A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice recently quit the Democratic Party, citing rising antisemitism as a driving factor. That departure was a signal. Galindo's candidacy is another one, louder and harder to ignore.
Texas District 35 is also a battleground because of redistricting. Republicans have reconfigured the district's borders with the goal of picking up the seat. That political reality gives Democrats even less room for error in selecting a nominee who can compete in a general election.
The Supreme Court's decision to let Texas keep its GOP-friendly congressional map only sharpened the stakes. Democrats need credible candidates in competitive districts. Instead, in TX-35, they are watching a candidate who raised less than $10,000 on her own, rode outside PAC money to a primary lead, and spent the campaign posting antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media.
The Post reached out to both Galindo's and Garcia's campaigns for comment. Neither response was reported.
The runoff is days away. Voters in Texas District 35, from San Antonio to the Austin suburbs, face a choice that should not be difficult. One candidate is calling for jailing Americans based on their political beliefs and smearing Jewish people with grotesque stereotypes. The other is at least talking about gas prices and groceries.
But the real accountability question reaches beyond TX-35. Hakeem Jeffries and the DCCC have a candidate on their ballot who wants to turn a federal detention facility into a prison camp sorted by ideology, complete with forced castration. The DCCC's spokesperson called this situation "disgusting", and blamed Republicans. StopAntisemitism called it what it is and demanded Democratic leaders act.
Denouncing antisemitism only when it is politically convenient is not a principle. It is a calculation. And voters, Jewish voters, taxpayers, anyone who believes the Bill of Rights means what it says, can see the difference.