DHS on Friday rejected Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon’s claims that Republicans are “literally trying to kill” Black Americans and that ICE is a “weaponized paramilitary force” meant to “terrorize us.”
Nixon made the remarks on a Jacksonville podcast earlier this month, days before winning Florida’s Democratic Senate primary, while arguing Democrats should send “fighters” to Washington rather than seek bipartisan cooperation.
ICE said enforcement targets immigration status, not race or ethnicity, and pointed to its legal authority, use-of-force rules and a 2025 Supreme Court order that temporarily let Southern California operations resume during litigation.
DHS said the rhetoric comes as ICE officers face rising threats, repeating figures it cited last month: assaults up 1,300%, vehicular attacks up 3,300% and death threats up 8,000%.
Nixon, who beat Alexander Vindman by nearly 12 points despite his $16.27 million campaign haul, now faces Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November for the remainder of Marco Rubio’s former Senate term.