A Democratic House candidate in Texas drew condemnations from her own party after she said that she would turn an immigration detention center into a “prison for American Zionists” if she won the election. 

The candidate, Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and housing activist, is running for Texas’ 35th Congressional District and is currently facing another Democrat in a primary runoff. 

In a post to Instagram, Galindo said she would turn the "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," Galindo added. 

The comments earned Galindo a strong rebuke from Democratic Party leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who would be poised to become House Speaker if his party retakes the chamber in the midterm elections this fall. 

“This vile language by her is disqualifying and has no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party,” Jeffries said in a joint statement with Rep. Suzan DelBene, who leads the House Democrat’s campaign arm. 

However, the pair blamed Republicans for a shadowy group, Lead Left PAC, that has support Galindo’s campaign. 

“To embrace and uplift a fringe candidate with antisemitic — and extremely dangerous — rhetoric and views in order to win an election is beyond the pale,” they said. “MAGA extremists should be ashamed of themselves.” 

It is not clear who runs the Lead Left PAC, but PunchBowl News reported that metadata from the group’s website is linked to a Republican fundraising platform.