Important News

DHS Announces Investigation After U.S. Citizen Tried to Buy Gun Saying She Wanted to Kill ICE Agents

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Key takeaways

  • DHS announced an investigation into a female U.S. citizen who attempted to buy a firearm on two occasions and said she intended to “buy a gun to protect herself from ICE Agents, and also to kill ICE Agents.”
  • ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the New York State Police (NYSP) are investigating purchase attempts that occurred in Kenmore, New York.
  • Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned comparisons of ICE to groups like the Gestapo and said violence and dehumanization of ICE and CBP personnel must stop.
  • DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said federal law enforcement will continue to enforce the law and warned that anyone who harms an officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
  • DHS provided a hotline (866-DHS-2-ICE / 866-347-2423) and an online ICE tip form for reporting doxing and harassment of ICE officers.
  • The release states (as DHS claims) that there has been a 1,300% increase in assaults against ICE officers and a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks.

Follow Up Questions

What is Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and how does it relate to ICE and DHS?Expand

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is the principal criminal investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); it is a federal law‑enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that conducts domestic and international investigations into transnational crime (e.g., human trafficking, drug and weapons smuggling, cybercrime, financial crime) and supports other DHS and federal partners.

What is the New York State Police (NYSP) and what role do they play in federal investigations?Expand

The New York State Police (NYSP) is New York State’s statewide law‑enforcement agency; for federal investigations it can investigate crimes within the state, lead or assist local and federal partners (including joint task forces), execute state criminal warrants, and coordinate evidence and arrests with federal agencies when jurisdiction overlaps or when asked to support federal probes.

Who are Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and what are their roles at DHS?Expand

Tricia McLaughlin is DHS’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (the department’s principal communications adviser and spokesperson). Kristi Noem is the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, the Cabinet‑level head of DHS responsible for overall department leadership and law‑enforcement policy implementation.

What laws or criminal charges can apply to someone who attempts to buy a firearm while stating an intent to kill federal officers?Expand

Potential federal crimes include: threatening or attempting to kill a federal officer (e.g., 18 U.S.C. § 1114 and related statutes for killing or attempted killing of federal officers), making threats to injure or kill (18 U.S.C. § 875), and weapons/firearm offenses such as making false statements to buy a firearm (18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6)) or illegal purchase/possession under the Gun Control Act; prosecutors may also consider solicitation, conspiracy, or terrorism‑related statutes depending on facts.

What data or sources support DHS's claims of a 1,300% increase in assaults and a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks against ICE officers?Expand

DHS’s press release asserts those percentage increases but does not cite underlying data in the release; I cannot confirm the figures from the release alone. To evaluate the claim you would need DHS/ICE reports or datasets (e.g., ICE internal incident statistics, DHS annual reports, or Inspector General audits); those specific 1,300% and 3,200% figures were not sourced in the release and could not be verified from public DHS pages available here.

How can members of the public report doxing or harassment against ICE officers, and what information will DHS or ICE likely need when reporting?Expand

The public can report doxing/harassment of ICE personnel by calling DHS/ICE tip line 1‑866‑DHS‑2‑ICE (866‑347‑2423) or submitting ICE’s online tip form; when reporting provide specifics such as names or identifiers of the targeted officer, URLs/screenshots of doxing content, dates/times, accounts involved, and any threats, so investigators can assess and preserve evidence.

How does DHS distinguish between protected speech criticizing ICE and speech or actions that cross into threats or criminal conduct?Expand

DHS and courts distinguish protected criticism from illegal threats by context and intent: protected speech (political criticism, comparisons, advocacy) is lawful, but statements that are true threats, credible threats, solicitations to commit violence, or specific violent plans can be criminal (evaluated under statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 875 and case law assessing intent, imminence, and verifiability).

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