New Jersey Men Arrested for Threats Against DHS Official

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Tuesday that it had apprehended two men from New Jersey for allegedly threatening to torture and kill Tricia McLaughlin, who serves as the assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS.

Authorities have charged Ricardo Antonio Roman Flores and Emilio Roman Flores based on social media posts where they expressed intentions to gun down U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and hang McLaughlin. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons emphasized that threats against officials would not be ignored.

“Let this be a warning to anyone who threatens or assaults our courageous law enforcement officers,” Lyons stated in the DHS release. “We will locate you, arrest you, and seek the harshest penalties allowable by law. We will not be intimidated. The extreme language being used by the press, sanctuary politicians, and activists has resulted in a staggering increase—about 8,000%—in death threats aimed at law enforcement officers. If you threaten our law enforcement or DHS staff, we will find you and hold you accountable.”

McLaughlin has been openly critical of anti-ICE sentiments during various media appearances in her capacity as DHS’s primary spokesperson.

The Trump administration’s attempts to enforce immigration laws have sometimes met with significant pushback. For example, on November 29, individuals in New York City attempted to disrupt an ICE operation.

ICE facilities in cities like Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have experienced numerous riots as opposition to ICE’s efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants escalates. During one such operation in Chicago, agents faced an attack from assailants who rammed their vehicles into them. In August, several violent incidents were also reported at ICE facilities in Broadview, Illinois, and protests in Portland involved assaults against journalists covering the riots.

On September 24, a gunman targeted an ICE facility in the Dallas area, resulting in the deaths of two individuals when he opened fire. There have been previous instances in Texas involving ICE, leading to multiple charges of attempted murder and conspiracy in relation to a separate incident in Alvarado.

As of now, McLaughlin has not provided any comments regarding the recent threats.