Republican House candidate Valentina Gomez is facing backlash online after posting a video advocating public executions of illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes.
The provocative video, shared on X on Tuesday, shows Gomez, a Colombian-American and an ardent supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, simulating the execution of an immigrant. She was seen firing a handgun into the back of the dummy’s head, which was tied to a chair with a black bag over its head.
“It’s as simple as a public execution of illegals who raped and murdered Americans. They don’t deserve deportation. They deserve an end,” Gomez said in the video.
The post quickly garnered nearly 5 million views, but was flagged by X for violating rules against violent language and restricted from publication. In response, Gomez claimed that X penalized her because she was the “biggest threat to the regime.”
Gomez’s comments came on the heels of a high-profile subway murder in New York City involving an illegal immigrant. Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta Khalil, 33, was arrested and charged after a woman was set on fire over the weekend.
The video sparked an uproar online, with many social media users slamming her suggestion. Critics have called Gomez’s video inflammatory and dangerous.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said of “He was killed by someone,” he wrote.
The video also draws comparisons to past statements by Donald Trump, who proposed extending the death penalty for illegal immigrants convicted of murder.
Gomez, 25, has built her political brand on far-right rhetoric and shock value statements against the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants. In one video, she uses a homemade flamethrower to burn LGBTQ+ books and dismisses countries that ban flamethrowers as “weak and gay.”
Earlier this year, she ran for Missouri secretary of state in a similarly contentious campaign. However, he received only 7.4% of the votes, finishing in 6th place out of 8 candidates. Nevertheless, she has announced her candidacy for the Texas State Assembly, running against incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw.
