Two brothers from Absecon, New Jersey—Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores and Emilio Roman-Flores—have been arrested for threatening to murder Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and torture Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
According to law enforcement, the twins allegedly posted online that they intended to execute McLaughlin in a medieval fashion. One brother reportedly tweeted: “The Second Amendment is in place for moments like this. Shoot ICE on sight.” Another message, partially redacted, described their plan as tarring, feathering, and hanging her “as we did to anyone serving tyrants before the Revolutionary War.”
Emilio Roman-Flores was charged with unlawful possession of an assault weapon, prohibited weapons, conspiracy terroristic threats, criminal coercion, threats, and cyber harassment. Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores faced charges of conspiracy to make terroristic threats.
Authorities seized a pump shotgun, an AR-15-style rifle, and approximately a dozen boxes of ammunition from the brothers’ location during their arrest.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons declared: “We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. 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.”
The incidents follow a pattern of escalating violence against federal immigration officers, including DHS reports that criminal organizations have established bounties for the killing of ICE agents.
