Overview
- Authorities say Emilio Roman-Flores and Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores, both 26, were taken into custody in Absecon after violent messages on X threatened DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and urged people to “shoot ICE on sight.”
- Emilio faces counts including unlawful possession of an assault weapon, possession of prohibited weapons, conspiracy, terroristic threats, criminal coercion, threats, and cyber harassment; Ricardo is charged with conspiracy and terroristic threats.
- DHS and the Absecon Police Department SWAT team executed search-and-arrest warrants at the brothers’ residence, and officials released a photo showing a seized shotgun, a semiautomatic rifle, and ammunition.
- Both men made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Camden and were ordered detained pending trial, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey prosecuting the case with assistance from the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
- Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons condemned the threats and warned of aggressive enforcement, citing DHS reporting of a sharp rise in death threats against ICE personnel without specifying the timeframe.