The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday released statistics saying violent threats against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have surged by 8,000 percent,

DHS detailed a string of incidents in recent months, ranging from death threats and doxxing of family members to bounties placed on agents’ heads. Earlier this month, authorities arrested Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was residing in Texas, after a TikTok post in Spanish that DHS says called for the murder of ICE agents. Aguilar’s post reportedly called for “10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren’t afraid to [two skull emojis],” and offered “10K for each ICE agent.” 

In another incident, an ICE employee received a voicemail this month in which a caller said, “I hope every one of those lawless c**** you call ICE officers gets doxxed one by one.” 

Last week, DHS said it was alerted to a potential officer safety threat after a man named James Adrian Warren made threats on a Facebook post and shared material targeting an ICE officer in Ferndale, Washington. According to DHS, Warren called ICE “Nazis” and “The Gestapo,” and said he would begin observing and tailing ICE employees to “make life harder for ICE here in Whatcom County.”

Family members of officers have also been targeted, DHS said. In one case cited by the department, an ICE officer’s spouse in Texas reportedly received a call that said, “I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night. F*** you, f*** your family. 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.”   

“Our ICE law enforcement is now 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,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “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 added, “Secretary Noem’s message is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “