Florida man arrested for allegedly making death threats against ICE officers
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Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested a man who allegedly made online posts containing death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Saturday.
The suspect, who was arrested by special agents in Fort Myers, Fla., was identified as Joseph Giancola, but he allegedly used the pseudonym “Cain Delon” online on the social media platform Bluesky. In the announcement of his arrest, DHS said death threats against ICE officers have increased by 8,000% amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Some of the posts allegedly written by Giancola include phrases like “Shoot the ICE Nazis like rabid dogs,” “Just grab a gun and shoot the ICE Nazis,” “Shoot the ICE gestapo dead,” “They come at me and I shoot to kill. Be careful,” and “Take out your guns and shoot them,” according to DHS.
Along with the sharp increase in death threats, ICE agents have also seen a more than 1,000% increase in attacks, according to DHS.
DHS warns of ‘unprecedented violence’ as DEATH THREATS AGAINST ICE GROUNDS INCREASE 8,000%
Joseph Giancola was arrested for allegedly issuing death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. (DHS)
“This cowardly individual has repeatedly made disgusting death threats against ICE law enforcement. He is currently in federal custody and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. he said. “From bounties on their heads for murders, threats to their families, stalking and revealing personal information online, our officers face unprecedented levels of violence and threats against themselves and their families. Threaten violence or death against our law enforcement? You will end up behind bars like this man.”
In its statement, DHS said it was “committed to protecting its personnel and ensuring that individuals who make threats of violence are held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The ministry blamed the rhetoric of politicians and the media for the increasing threats and attacks against its officers. DHS said it has warned politicians and the media to “tone down their rhetoric” about ICE and other law enforcement agencies.
DHS BLAMES POLITICAL RHETORIC FOR INCREASE IN ATTACKS AGAINST ICE AGENTS AFTER CHARLIE KIRK MURDER
On December 4, 2023, protesters in Orlando, Fla., held a protest with signs against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). (Ronaldo Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The daily comparison of ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, Secret Police, and slave patrols has some consequences,” DHS said in a statement. “America’s ICE and CBP agents, like everyone else, are hard-working men and women who have families and are real people. The violence and inhumane treatment of these men and women who simply enforce the law must end.”
DHS on Thursday sounded the alarm over increasing threats against ICE agents and cited several examples of people threatening officers.
Eduardo Aguilar, a Mexican citizen living in the U.S. illegally in Dallas, Texas, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly encouraging the killing of ICE agents in a TikTok post.
Anti-ICE protesters marched in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
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The post, written in Spanish, allegedly offers $10,000 for the murder of an ICE agent and calls for “10 men in Dallas who are not afraid to die with determination.” [two skull emojis]” DHS said.
In another incident in Texas, an ICE officer’s wife was threatened over the phone. The unidentified caller, after repeatedly swearing at the IYM officer’s wife, said, “Have you heard what happened to the Nazis after the Second World War? Because this will happen to your family, too.”
