Republican Georgia Rep. Mike Collins suggested Thursday that the illegal immigrant who allegedly assaulted an NYPD cop should fly “Pinochet Air,” referencing a historical tactic to throw people out of helicopters.
Collins responded to a tweet from Republican New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who posted a picture of Jhoan Boada, who flipped off reporters after being released from custody following his arrest for assault in the second degree of a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer. Video footage allegedly shows a group of illegal immigrants, including Boada, beating up two NYPD officers in Times Square after being told by the officers to move along, according to the New York Post.
“We feel the same way about you,” D’Esposito wrote in the post. “Holla at the cartels and have them escort you back.”
“Or we could buy him a ticket on Pinochet Air for a free helicopter ride back,” Collins wrote in the response. (RELATED: Dem Gov Says Deporting Migrants Who Allegedly Beat Police Officers Should Be On The Table: REPORT).
Or we could buy him a ticket on Pinochet Air for a free helicopter ride back. https://t.co/nbfeHYrsPS
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) February 1, 2024
“Pinochet Air” refers to “death flights,” a tactic used in military dictatorships in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in the 1970s and 1980s to “forcibly disappear political dissidents,” according to The Guardian. Under the Pinochet regime in Chile, hundreds of bodies were dropped from helicopters over the Pacific Ocean, according to another report by The Guardian.
Collins’s post caught a lot of attention on the platform. The tweet was flagged for violating Twitter’s rules against violent speech. The Georgia representative posted on his other Twitter account a screenshot, showing he was locked out of his account because of the post. “You may not share abusive content, harass someone, or encourage other people to do so,” the screenshot revealed.
“What is @elonmusk phone number? He’s apparently got a few more folks to fire! Help me #FreeCollins,” he wrote on Twitter.
What is @elonmusk phone number? He’s apparently got a few more folks to fire! Help me #FreeCollins pic.twitter.com/9SRlv94D89
— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) February 1, 2024
The tweet now has a notice above it, “This Post violated the X Rules. However, X has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Post to remain accessible.”
Twitter has a policy about public interest exceptions, “In certain and rare instances, we may choose to leave up a post from an elected or government official that would otherwise violate our policies, given the significant public interest in knowing and being able to discuss their actions and statements.”
Collins has received some backlash on the platform for his post.
“I think sitting members of congress calling for murdering people using the Pinochet regime’s preferred method of dropping them out of helicopters is really not great,” MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes wrote on Twitter.
