Immigration Enforcement and ICE

West Virginia State Police arrested 20‑year‑old Cody Smith of Harrison County after a Jan. 19, 2026 complaint that he had posted online videos threatening to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, a Department of Homeland Security employee who took his call, and supporters of President Donald Trump. According to a criminal complaint cited by local outlets, troopers say Smith recorded himself saying he would 'attack and kill ICE agents' and 'murder Trump supporters and or war supporters, or service members willing to bootlick,' and also issued a direct threat against Trump. He is charged under state law with making terroristic threats and is being held at North Central Regional Jail on $75,000 bond, with no attorney of record noted in court files. The case surfaces as DHS officials publicly warn of a sharp increase in assaults and threats against ICE and Border Patrol personnel, and follows a separate West Virginia arrest of a librarian accused of recruiting 'snipers' online to assassinate Trump, highlighting an uptick in politically motivated threat cases that law enforcement says it is taking seriously.

Federal prosecutors say 25-year-old Brazilian national Luis Peterson Rohr Ferreira Borges pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hartford to assaulting federal officers after a June 25, 2025 ICE arrest on Zion Street. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, once in a government vehicle Ferreira Borges kicked, flailed and threatened to kick the driver in the neck, then bit one Enforcement and Removal Operations officer and spat on the officer driving as they transported him to the federal building on Main Street. DHS had previously issued a 2023 civil immigration warrant for him, and he also faced earlier state charges in Connecticut including assault on public-safety personnel and intimidation based on bigotry or bias. He has been in custody since his 2025 arrest and faces up to one year in prison when he is sentenced on April 16. The case will likely be cited inside the broader fight over ICE tactics and resistance to immigration arrests, but it also underscores that some encounters do involve genuine assaults on officers, something Fox and administration allies have been emphasizing in their narrative about rising attacks on federal agents.

Immigration officials allowed Flores, a lawful permanent resident who had been out on bail in the indictment over a $100 million jewelry heist, to self‑deport after an immigration hearing in which he requested voluntary departure to Chile (the judge denied that request but issued a final removal order), and he was removed to Ecuador following his transfer to ICE custody in September. Prosecutors — who say they were unaware of any immigration detainer — are angered and want the case dismissed without prejudice so they can seek his return, while defense lawyers argue the deportation violated criminal‑procedure rights and seek dismissal with prejudice; a former federal prosecutor called allowing self‑deportation in such a high‑value case “highly unusual,” noting immigration officials typically notify prosecutors.

The Justice Department has charged 30‑year‑old Taylor Ryan Prigmore of Oklahoma with federal offenses after he allegedly used a YouTube account to post repeated threats to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 'MAGA Republicans' and politicians between May 2025 and Jan. 17. According to an FBI affidavit, Google issued an emergency alert on Saturday saying the comments posed an imminent threat of death or serious injury, attaching the deleted posts and account data, and agents arrested Prigmore on Monday. Under the username 'Adrian Tepes,' he is accused of writing about 'civil war,' preparing to kill federal agents, urging others to buy guns to murder law‑enforcement officers, and saying President Trump 'needs to die to save lives,' in the context of Trump’s Insurrection Act threats amid violent Minnesota ICE clashes. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel framed the case as part of a broader crackdown on rising attacks and threats against law enforcement, warning that anonymity online will not shield people from prosecution. The case illustrates how platforms are feeding urgent threat information to federal investigators and how political and immigration rhetoric is spilling over into criminally actionable calls for violence.