Protests against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have escalated in recent months, with two alarming incidents taking place within 24 hours of each other just this week.
In July, a self-described “Antifa” activist, who was armed with a rifle and incendiary devices, was shot dead by police after he attempted to create explosions at an ICE detention center (Seattle Antifascist Action said of the terrorist that he “became a martyr who gave his life to the struggle against fascism”). This week, a group of anti-ICE activists in Florida threatened the children of a person connected to a private contractor used by ICE, and a day later ICE offices in San Antonio, Texas, were fired upon in what authorities are calling a “targeted attack” on the agency.
The Florida incident was caught on video and reported by Breitbart’s John Binder. Binder reports that the video, taken by Breitbart’s Matt Perdie, shows protesters with “Never Again Action, Miramar Circle of Protection Friends of Miami-Dade Detainees, Food Not Bombs Fort Lauderdale, Students Working for Equal Rights, and the Black Lives Matter Alliance of Broward County” converging on current and former employees of a group contracted by ICE, GEO Group:
One protester specifically threatened GEO Group’s former general counsel John Bulfin, shouting the locations and addresses of where his children live in the United States.
“We know where all your children live throughout the country … John Bulfin you have kids in [bleeped out], you have kids in [bleeped out],” the protester shouted. “We know everything about you and you won’t just be seeing us here.”
“We know where you sleep at night,” another protester shouted. “We know what kind of dog food you buy your dogs.”
“We’re not actually joking,” the protester said before shouting the location of where Bulfin lives. “John Bulfin you go to [bleeped out], you go to church on [bleeped out], you live on [bleeped out the] road. We are not joking.”
As noted by Binder, a day after activists’ protests of ICE-contracted GEO Group employees in Florida, ICE and GEO Group offices in San Antonio appear to have been targeted by gunmen.
“FBI officials said on Tuesday they have opened an investigation into shots fired into Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in San Antonio. Authorities described it as a ‘targeted attack’ against federal employees,” ABC affiliate KSAT reported Tuesday. “Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the San Antonio division of the FBI, said an unknown number of individuals in an unknown number of vehicles fired numerous rounds into two ICE offices on the Northeast Side at around 3 a.m.”
At a press conference Tuesday, Combs described the incident as “an attempt to attack federal employees.” “I don’t think there is a question that they knew which floor the ICE office is on,” said Combs in comments reported by KSAT. “To fire indiscriminately into any building is not an act of a protest but an act of violence,” he added.
In a statement reported by the outlet, ICE spokesperson Nina Pruneda condemns the “political rhetoric and misinformation” promoted by “various politicians,” activists and outlets about the agency.
“Political rhetoric and misinformation that various politicians, media outlets and activist groups recklessly disseminate to the American people regarding the ICE mission only serve to further encourage these violent acts,” she said. “ICE officers put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our communities safe. This disturbing public discourse shrouds our critical law enforcement function and unnecessarily puts our officers’ safety at risk.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli tweeted out a photo of some of the evidence of the “targeted attack.” “Here’s a photo of one of the bullet holes from this morning. @USCIS stands with @ICE as they work to enforce our laws and keep Americans safe!”