A Democratic congressional candidate in San Antonio is facing mounting condemnation after a series of inflammatory social media posts surfaced just one week before her runoff election, including calls to imprison “American Zionists” and accusations that Jewish Zionists control politicians and the media.
Maureen Galindo, who is running to represent Texas’ newly redrawn 35th Congressional District, has become the center of a political firestorm after Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin highlighted one of her Instagram posts Tuesday evening. In the post, Galindo proposed turning the Karnes ICE Detention Center near San Antonio into “a prison for American Zionists” and a “castration processing center for pedophiles,” adding that “most of the Zionists” would fit into that category.
“Yes, it’s real, and yes the post is still up,” Melugin wrote on X. “She has a runoff election next week.”
The post quickly spread online, racking up more than 181,000 views within hours and triggering immediate backlash from Jewish organizations, Democratic officials, and former allies.
Maureen Galindo, a Democrat running for Congress in TX-35, says in an Instagram post that she would turn an ICE detention center near San Antonio “into a prison for American Zionists”, and will also use it as a castration processing center for pedophiles, “which will probably be… pic.twitter.com/d5Xmb2uk9n
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 19, 2026
According to the San Antonio Current, Galindo wrote over the weekend:
“When Maureen gets into Congress, she'll write legislation so that all Zionism and support of Zionism is undoubtedly Anti-Semitic, since it's Zionists harming the Semites. 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.”
The detention-center comments were only part of a broader pattern of posts aimed at her runoff opponent, Johnny Garcia. One widely circulated graphic accused Garcia and other politicians who “received money from Israel” of betraying the country and declared they “will be tried for treason against the American people.”
Another post featured Garcia in his police uniform standing before Israeli and American flags while accusing him of taking “money from Israel to get into Congress & fund Israeli wars.” Galindo also amplified claims that Garcia was tied to “a human trafficking conspiracy orchestrated by billionaire zionist Jews,” according to the Current.
Garcia, a former Bexar County Public Information Officer, has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Galindo’s social media activity also included reposts attacking AIPAC and content pushing claims that “a cabal of Jewish zionists controls Hollywood, the media and even local politicians.” While she has repeatedly insisted she is criticizing “zionists” rather than Jewish people broadly, critics say the distinction does not hold up against the rhetoric she has promoted.
“I think it’s actually the zionists who are putting Jewish people at the most risk,” Galindo told the Current.
That explanation has failed to calm outrage.
The San Antonio Jewish Federation issued a statement condemning what it called “antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories in public discourse.”
“Divisive and hateful rhetoric targeting the Jewish community has no place in our civic life,” the organization said.
The controversy has rapidly isolated Galindo politically. Former Democratic primary opponent John Lira rescinded his endorsement, while Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico said he would refuse to campaign alongside her if she advances.
“This antisemitic rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Talarico said. “We need leadership in both parties willing to stand up and call out hate where it rears its ugly head.”