A Florida congressional candidate has purchased the online domain nazis.us and set it to redirect visitors to the US Department of Homeland Security, under which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been carrying out immigration crackdowns. Mark Davis, who is running for the Republican seat held by Vern Buchanan in November's midterms, admitted to the ploy in a social media post on Friday.
Davis, who lists no party affiliation, wrote on X that he bought the domain because the Republican Party had gone 'full fascist'. He added that if establishment figures 'won't fight Nazis, then a nobody fucking will'. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told TMZ that the agency had 'successfully blocked the redirect' by Thursday morning, but as of late Saturday, the domain still led to dhs.gov.
The redirect comes amid widespread criticism of federal agents' tactics during protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which escalated after the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. Many have compared the agents' behaviour to that of the Gestapo, the secret police of Nazi Germany. Podcast host Joe Rogan drew the same comparison after Good's death.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly denied being a Nazi, despite being called one by his opponents. Meanwhile, The Intercept reported that the Department of Homeland Security's official Instagram account posted a recruitment video featuring a song popular in neo-Nazi circles, with lyrics about reclaiming 'our home' through 'blood or sweat'.
Domain registration records show nazis.us was registered on 13 January by a user with a Florida address. Davis received mixed reactions online, with some praising his act of defiance and others mocking him for it. He later said he acted because elected leaders had remained silent while the country embraced fascism.
