(The Center Square) – Death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are up by 8,000% compared to the same timeframe last year, the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday. Assaults against ICE officers remain at a 1,000% increase, The Center Square first reported.
Targeted removal efforts prioritizing arresting violent offenders are ongoing as ICE officers continue to work without pay paid during the federal government shutdown.
ICE officers are “facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. “From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families. Make no mistake, sanctuary politicians are contributing to the surge in violent threats and assaults of our officers through their repeated vilification and demonization tactics, including gross comparisons to the Nazi Gestapo. This violence against law enforcement must end.”
DHS highlighted recent death threats, including a Mexican national illegally living in Dallas who posted an ad on TikTok in Spanish for “10 dudes in Dallas with determination (guts) who aren’t afraid to [two skull emojis]. 10K for each ICE agent,” The Center Square reported.
In Florida, a man was arrested for posting death threats on the social media platform Bluesky using the pseudonym “Cain Delon.” Threats include, “Shoot the ICE Nazis down like the rabid dogs they are;” “Just get a gun and shoot the ICE Nazis down;” “Start by shooting ice thugs dead;” “They come near me, and I shoot to kill. Be warned;” “Get out your guns and shoot them down,” among others, DHS said.
In Whatcom County, Washington, ICE identified Facebook posts claiming ICE officers are using “chemical agents (who’s [sic] deployment is a war crime); referring to ICE officers as the “[expletive] Gestapo,” and encourages others to “make life hard for ICE” in Ferndale. The posts refer to detention facilities in Ferndale where illegal border crossers are held before they are transported to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
DHS also posted an audio recording of a voicemail left by a man saying he hopes ICE officers are doxed “one by one.” DHS called the voicemail “disgusting” and blamed Democrats. “The vile rhetoric of sanctuary politicians comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law MUST END,” it said.
Doxxing is directly tied to coordinated efforts by rioters to harm ICE agents and by cartel affiliates that have placed bounties on them. DHS earlier this month exposed a cartel bounty system operating in Chicago that is similar to those that have been used in Texas for years, The Center Square reported. This month, a Latin Kings member was arrested after he allegedly put a hit out on Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.
In California, those doxxing and threatening ICE agents and their families are being arrested, The Center Square reported. “Doxxing is not just an invasion of privacy; it is a deliberate act of intimidation that undermines the safety and security of ICE employees who are dedicated to upholding the law and protecting our nation,” ICE Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Valenzuela said.
On Wednesday, HSI and ICE made more arrests in response to a July attack against federal agents in Camarillo, California. Two siblings, Isai Carrillo and Virginia Reyes, were arrested and accused of throwing and encouraging others to throw rocks at ICE officers as they made arrests at a marijuana facility. The officers were attacked as they rescued “migrant children from potential human trafficking, exploitation, and forced labor at the marijuana facility,” DHS said.
Also on Wednesday, as their arrest warrants were being issued, Reyes posted ICE’s whereabouts on social media and a violent mob attacked them, DHS said. Reyes initially fled but turned herself in Thursday, DHS said. Another individual was arrested for throwing rocks at ICE and four Mexican nationals, all in the country illegally, were found at the siblings’ residence and arrested, DHS said.
DHS also highlighted another example of an individual in Texas threatening an ICE officer’s spouse and children, saying, “I hope your kids get deported by accident. How do you sleep? F*** you. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.”
DHS posted screenshots of a threat allegedly made by a Lakeville, Mass., resident to an ICE officer’s wife, saying, “Your husband, the ICE man is a f*** and retribution will come your way eventually.”
Federal authorities are encouraging Americans to report suspicious criminal activity, threats against ICE officers and their family members, as well as doxxing, by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE or submitting a tip online.