This morning, two brothers in Absecon, New Jersey, were arrested after allegedly threatening to kill Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and calling for violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on social media. The suspects, identified as Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores and Emilio Roman-Flores, are U.S. citizens.
The arrests were carried out by DHS agents in cooperation with the Absecon Police Department SWAT team. According to officials, Emilio Roman-Flores faces charges including unlawful possession of an assault weapon, possession of prohibited weapons, conspiracy to make terroristic threats, criminal coercion, threats, and cyber harassment. Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores is charged with conspiracy to make terroristic threats.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons issued a statement following the arrests: “Let this be a warning to anyone who dares threaten or attack our brave law enforcement officers. 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.”
Both individuals are currently being held by local authorities in New Jersey.
