A research assistant at the University of Maryland, known for his far-left views, has sparked controversy after seemingly joking about bombing areas in Los Angeles and Miami. His comments targeted Cuban and Iranian Americans who support President Trump’s military actions against Iran.

Djamil Lakhdar-Hamina made these provocative statements during a YouTube video streamed on March 1. The video appeared on a channel run by Cosmonaut Magazine, a socialist platform.

In the footage, Lakhdar-Hamina harshly criticizes Iranian expatriates who favor US military interventions in Iran. He then escalates his rhetoric by suggesting that American cities with significant immigrant populations should be targeted.

“Watching the Iranian diaspora cheer for their country’s bombardment — it’s like an Olympic contest to find the worst ‘gusanos’ in the world, competing for gold,” Lakhdar-Hamina remarked in the controversial video.

“With Cubans on one side and Iranians on the other, just imagine bombing vast areas of LA and Miami. The world would be better off without them,” he added.

The word “gusanos,” meaning “worms” in Spanish, is a derogatory term used by the Cuban communist regime to label Cuban exiles and opponents of Fidel Castro.

Los Angeles and Miami are home to large Iranian and Cuban American populations, many of whom fled authoritarian regimes in their home countries.

“I mean, just imagine being the kind of dog who cheers on your country getting bombed, thinking that somehow this is going to help your country at all,” Lakhdar-Hamina added.

A clip with the inflammatory comments was posted to X by Canary Mission, an organization that documents anti-semitism, among other things. Critics blasted the remarks as an apparent call for violence in two of the country’s largest cities, tagging the FBI and flagging the comments as “terrorism.”

The remarks come amid heightened political tensions over US military action against Iran, which has divided some diaspora communities between supporters of aggressive US policy toward the regime and critics who fear escalation.

“Just a member of the DSA encouraging terrorist attacks against Los Angeles,” Dick Lucas, a candidate running for California State Assembly, said on X. “I don’t care how good you think @nithyavraman is on policy, she is DSA, the party that hates America. I will never support her or any member of this organization.” Nithya Raman is a Los Angeles city council member who is running for LA mayor.

Former LA City Council candidate Sam Yebri posted this in response to the clip: “DSA members want to murder Iranian-Americans and Cuban-Americans who have lived through the socialism and fascism they advocate. That’s all you need to know about the violent hate group that calls itself ‘democratic socialists of America.’”

The comments also drew scrutiny because Lakhdar-Hamina is affiliated with the University of Maryland as a research assistant for the Joint Quantum Institute, prompting calls online for the university to respond.

The comments are consistent with Lakhdar-Hamina’s extremist declarations, who has previously identified as a long-time member of the Democratic Socialists of America. In a Sept. 1, 2025 video also posted by Cosmonaut Magazine, he said “the only existing effective vehicle of resistance against Zionist barbarism right now is Hamas. That’s a fact.”

The University of Maryland, the Joint Quantum Institute, and the DSA did not respond to requests for comment.