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Two brothers from New Jersey have been arrested after authorities say they issued violent threats online against a senior Department of Homeland Security official and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores and Emilio Roman-Flores, twins from Absecon, were taken into custody after DHS investigators and an Absecon Police Department SWAT team responded to threatening posts made on social media, according to a DHS press release.
Emilio Roman-Flores faces several charges, including unlawful possession of an assault weapon, possession of prohibited weapons, conspiracy to make terroristic threats, criminal coercion, threats and cyber harassment.
Ricardo Roman-Flores has been charged with conspiracy to make terroristic threats. Both men, who are Hispanic U.S. citizens, are being held by Absecon police, DHS said.
Investigators say one brother responded to a post by DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on X with threats invoking pre-Revolutionary War punishments. “We Americans should find you, tar you, feather you, and hang you as we did to anyone serving tyrants before the Revolutionary War,” he allegedly wrote.
The other brother is accused of adding, “Shoot ICE on sight,” according to Fox News.
“Let this be a warning to anyone who dares threaten or attack our brave law enforcement officers,” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in the statement.
“We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. We are NOT afraid of you. The extreme rhetoric of the news media, sanctuary politicians, and activists is leading directly to our law enforcement officers facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them. If you threaten our law enforcement or DHS officials, we will hunt you down, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Lyons added.
McLaughlin has been a prominent defender of the Trump administration’s deportation operations, frequently appearing on television to criticize sanctuary jurisdictions and emphasizing that ICE has been targeting what she has called the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders.
The threats are part of a growing level of violence against ICE officers, with the DHS claiming an increase of 8000 percent in the past year.