Democratic hopeful’s Zionist rants roil Texas race

A Texan within striking distance of winning a Democratic Congressional nomination is under fire after promising to convert an ICE detention center into a prison for “American Zionists” — and suggesting many would be pedophiles.

Maureen Galindo is drawing national condemnation after a series of inflammatory comments about Jews, Zionists and her runoff opponent.

Galindo, a housing activist, sex and family therapist and single mother, is running in Texas’ newly redrawn 35th Congressional District, a San Antonio-area seat Democrats hope to flip after Republican-led redistricting, according to reporting by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. She finished first in the March Democratic primary with 29.2 percent of the vote, ahead of sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia, who received 27 percent. The runoff is May 26.

The San Antonio Current reported that Galindo wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend that she would turn the Karnes ICE Detention Center, south of San Antonio, “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,” Galindo wrote, according to the Current. 

The remarks are the latest in a string of antisemitic and conspiratorial comments. According to JTA, Galindo has said it is her “perception that Zionist billionaires run the world,” and singled out “Israeli, Jewish billionaire Zionists” as disproportionately owning Hollywood studios, media companies and banks. 

On Texas Public Radio, Galindo denied being antisemitic while repeating claims about “Zionist Jews,” JTA reported.

“I’m not antisemitic. In fact, my last serious relationship was with a Jewish man,” Galindo said. “I’m against Zionist Jews. When I said that the Jews who own Hollywood are doing this, do all Jews own Hollywood? No. The Zionist Jews do. The Zionist Jews own our media, our banks and all of our politicians.”

She added, “There’s plenty of evidence for what I’m saying in the Epstein files.”

The controversy has prompted pushback from leading Democrats and Jewish groups.

James Talarico, a Democratic Texas state representative and US Senate candidate whose campaign has drawn national attention, told JTA he would not campaign with Galindo if she wins the runoff.

“This antisemitic rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Talarico told JTA. “We need leadership in both parties willing to stand up and call out hate wherever it rears its ugly head.”

The San Antonio Jewish Federation said it “strongly condemns the spread of antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories in public discourse.”

The San Antonio Jewish Community Relations Council told JTA that it “condemns any and all hateful speech, including the use of antisemitic tropes, in public discourse,” though it did not name Galindo. 

Galindo has also attacked her Israel-supporting Democratic primary rival, Johnny Garcia, accusing him of participating in a human-trafficking conspiracy orchestrated by billionaire Zionist Jews.

She pledged during a Texas Public Radio interview to put him on trial for treason, according to the Current. 

On social media, JTA reported, Galindo depicted Garcia standing in front of US and Israeli flags and claimed he “took money from Israel to get into Congress & fund Israeli wars.”

Democratic Majority for Israel, which endorsed Garcia early in the race, is mounting a late six-figure ad campaign for him, JTA reported.

“Maureen Galindo espouses vile, hateful views,” Brian Romick, the group’s head, told JTA. “She has claimed Jews ‘own Hollywood,’ that they ‘worship the synagogue of Satan,’ and accused Zionists of running human trafficking networks. Antisemitic conspiracy theories like these are disqualifying and have no place in either Party or in Congress.”

Galindo has rejected criticism of her comments, telling JTA that “coordinated media attacks declaring my anti-Zionist rhetoric as antisemitic” were “causing more harm to the Jews of San Antonio by playing into all the stigmas that they own the media.”

“Zionists want us to blame all Jews to shield them from the violence they perpetrate on Semites across the Middle East,” Galindo told JTA. “I’m not falling for it and will continue to protect all Jews from their corrupted leaders by constantly reminding folks that it’s not all Jews. We need to be loud about our anti-Zionism in these times to protect our neighbors.”

One former primary opponent, John Lira, has rescinded his endorsement of Galindo, saying he had become “increasingly troubled by a series of derogatory, inflammatory and conspiratorial statements directed toward Jewish people and others,” JTA reported. Lira did not endorse Garcia, saying he would remain neutral in the runoff.