The Department of Homeland Security on Friday pushed back against claims from Florida Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Angie Nixon, who accused Republicans of “literally trying to kill us” and described Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a “weaponized paramilitary force” meant to frighten communities.
Nixon made the remarks earlier this month during an appearance on the “QNA: Questions Need Answers” podcast, just days before she secured Florida’s Democratic Senate primary victory.
Discussing why she believes voters should elect combative advocates to Washington, Nixon rejected the idea that bipartisan cooperation with Republicans is a realistic goal.
“Folks often say, like, ‘Oh, are you going to be able to work across the aisle with the Republicans?’ They’re not trying to work across the aisle. They’re literally trying to kill us. And they are doing it on camera,” Nixon said.
She then broadened her criticism, pointing to what she called state-sanctioned violence in Black communities before shifting her focus to federal immigration enforcement.
“Like, actually state-sanctioned violence. They’ve been doing it in the black community. And they’re doing it even more so now with ICE,” she said. “ICE is now a weaponized paramilitary force that is designed to terrorize us.”
Nixon cited a September 2025 immigration enforcement operation at an apartment building in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, alleging that agents zip-tied men, women and children during the action.
That operation led to roughly two dozen detentions and was aimed at suspected members of Tren de Aragua, according to the account.
DHS later rejected a viral allegation involving a toddler, saying the image came from a parody video.
“Allegations that DHS law enforcement engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital Friday.
DHS said immigration status, not race or ethnicity, determined who was targeted for enforcement. The department cited ICE’s authority under § U.S.C. 1357 and pointed to its use-of-force policy, which included minimum-force and de-escalation standards.
The department also referred to a 2025 Supreme Court order.
The decision temporarily allowed immigration operations in Southern California to resume while litigation over whether officers conducted stops without reasonable suspicion continued.
DHS said Nixon’s rhetoric came as ICE personnel faced escalating attacks and threats. A spokesperson repeated figures the department had cited last month.
“We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. Our brave law enforcement is facing a 1,300% increase in assaults, 3,300% increase in vehicular attack, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them. This violence must end,” the spokesperson said.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Emma Hall told Fox News Digital Friday that Nixon’s comments would benefit Republican candidates nationwide.
“Socialist lunatic Angie Nixon wants to empty our prisons, open our borders and raise your taxes to bankroll their far-left agenda,” she said. “Every word out of Nixon’s mouth is an in-kind contribution to Republicans in Florida and across the country.”
Nixon defeated former National Security Council official Alexander Vindman, a whistleblower who became a key witness in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, by nearly 12 points despite his $16.27 million campaign war chest, compared with approximately $1 million raised by Nixon.
She will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November to fill the remainder of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former Senate term.
Fox News Digital reached out to Nixon and Moody for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
