Dallas Man Arrested After TikTok Post Offering '10K for Each ICE Agent'

A Dallas man has been arrested and charged in federal court after allegedly posting a TikTok video offering cash bounties for the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, authorities said.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, Eduardo Aguilar, 23, a Mexican national residing in Dallas, was charged with transmitting in interstate or foreign commerce a communication containing a threat.

The post, made on October 9, displayed a Spanish text offering "10K for each ICE agent," accompanied by another line reading, "I need 10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren't afraid to [two skull emojis]." Prosecutors said the emojis were intended to signify "die."

"Threats against our law enforcement officers are completely unacceptable," said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson in a statement. "All threats against our agents and officers will be investigated thoroughly, and anyone who threatens or puts a bounty on agents will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible."

FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock added that the bureau "takes threats of violence to our law enforcement partners seriously" and will investigate "anyone who commits these types of offenses."

Aguilar made his initial court appearance in Dallas this week and was ordered to remain in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. The Department of Justice emphasized that a criminal complaint is only an allegation and that Aguilar is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The arrest follows a series of recent prosecutions involving threats against federal immigration officers on social media. In late September, federal prosecutors in Georgia charged two men from Tennessee and New York with using social media to threaten an ICE officer and his spouse. One of the defendants allegedly posted a video identifying the officer and urging others to "catch him when he's alone," while another commented about "testing the sights on their new A-R," a reference to a semiautomatic rifle.

Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted three women in California and Colorado for allegedly following an ICE officer home, livestreaming the pursuit, and publishing his address online. The Department of Homeland Security warned in response that "anyone who doxxes or threatens ICE agents will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."