Longtime New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who is running as a conservative candidate for Texas’s 21st Congressional District, has received significant backlash on social media after publicly supporting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Teixeira, who turns 46 in April, has repeatedly voiced support for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security on his official X account. He also wrote that the “Trump Effect is working for the American people” on January 12.
Teixeira drew widespread attention with a January 8 post stating, “I stand with ICE.” The post came the same day that an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman, while she was in her vehicle. The Department of Homeland Security has characterized the incident as self-defense, alleging that Good attempted to use her car as a weapon. Videos show Good putting her vehicle into drive while one agent had an arm inside the car, and another was positioned directly in front of it.
Teixeira’s pro-ICE post had more than six million views as of January 16, with many responses criticizing the three-time All-Star.
I stand with ICE. https://t.co/SRDX4UUH15
— Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) January 8, 2026
“Man, you were a meh Yankee,” one X user wrote. “You’re gonna be a [expletive] politician. Leave this stuff to the adults. Go field some grounders or something.”
Another commenter wrote, “You are now on the short list of players we don’t ever want back at Yankee Stadium for Old Timers’ Day or any other ceremony. An ICE agent who was NOT in harm’s way stuck his arm in the window and shot a woman in the head. Your stance is anti-American and disgusting.”
The reference to Old Timers’ Day pertains to the Yankees’ annual tradition of welcoming former players and coaches back to Yankee Stadium each summer. Teixeira did not attend the 2009 World Series championship team reunion during the 2024 event.
Other commenters revived Teixeira’s longstanding dispute with former Texas Rangers teammate Vicente Padilla. In July 2012, Padilla, who is from Nicaragua, accused Teixeira of threatening him with a bat and told ESPN that he believed Teixeira “does have a bit of a problem with Hispanic players.”
Teixeira denied those allegations at the time. Then-Yankees teammates Robinson Canó and Freddy García said they did not believe Teixeira held prejudiced views.
“I judge guys by the way they are with me,” said Canó, who is from the Dominican Republic. “I don’t have any problem with him. He’s one of the coolest guys on the team. Every day we’re joking.”
Great to see prosecutions of illegal voters but let’s end this nonsense once and for all and pass the SAVE Act! https://t.co/wkau5Ez7Qq
— Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) January 15, 2026
X users also posted obscene remarks about Teixeira’s family and religious background. Teixeira and his wife, Leigh, have three children and are devout Christians.
“History will forget about 2009 and remember this exclusively,” read one comment. Teixeira played a pivotal role for the Yankees’ 2009 World Series team that defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting 39 regular-season home runs and adding two more in the playoffs.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and activist Riley Gaines have publicly endorsed Teixeira. The primary elections are scheduled for Tuesday, March 3.
The No. 5 pick in the 2001 MLB Draft, Teixeira hit .268 with 409 home runs, 1,298 RBIs, and an .869 OPS over 14 MLB seasons. His 206 home runs with the Yankees rank 14th in franchise history entering the 2026 season.
