White House: 'Deeply disturbing' for Cynthia Nixon to call ICE a 'terrorist organization'

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Actress Cynthia Nixon to run for NY governorship

Former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon took to Twitter to announce her plan to run for New York governor. The actress will challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in September.

The White House says it is “deeply disturbing” that liberal New York gubernatorial candidate and former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon is referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency as a “terrorist organization.”

“It’s deeply disturbing that Cynthia Nixon has no clue of what ICE does to protect Americans and New Yorkers every day from dangerous criminals, terrorists, child smugglers and human traffickers,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement on Monday.

Nixon, who is attempting to position herself to the left of incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has repeatedly used the phrase to describe the federal government agency that enforces immigration laws.

Nixon, who has joined the liberal calls for the abolishment of ICE, recently tweeted: “I can think of no better description than to call ICE a terrorist organization.”

The White House said it’s ironic that Nixon is running for governor of New York.

“The 9/11 terrorists responsible for the slaughter of 3,000 innocent people were foreign nationals on visas who committed immigration fraud and who should have been deported,” Gidley said. “ICE was created in the aftermath of that tragedy to help ensure that no similar atrocity would ever strike our nation again.”

CYNTHIA NIXON CALLS ICE ‘TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’

Added Gidley, “It’s especially unfortunate that Nixon, as a New Yorker, not only advocates for the abolition of the very agency that would’ve helped stop 9/11, but also smears and slanders the tireless work carried out by the brave men and women of ICE to keep our country safe.”

According to a recent ICE press release, agents arrested 40 illegal immigrants in the state of New York last month, which included at-large criminal illegal immigrants, illegal re-entrants and other immigration violators.

Last month, at a church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Nixon said ICE “has strayed so far away from its mission.”

“It is supposed to be here to keep Americans safe, but what it has turned into, frankly, is a terrorist organization of its own that is terrorizing people who are coming to this country,” she said.

Fox News’ Lukas Mikelionis contributed to this report.