A suspect was arrested Friday after allegedly tossing a lit Molotov cocktail into the lobby of a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Florida, according to a report. It was the latest in a string of attacks against Homeland Security facilities.
Authorities said the unidentified woman walked into the office in Oakland Park — about 33 miles north of Miami — and hurled a bottle of gasoline with a lit fuse. But the fuse detached from the bottle before it could ignite, according to a report of the incident sent to administration officials and viewed by The Associated Press. No major injuries were reported.
Citizenship and Immigration Services — a Homeland Security agency — processes legal immigration cases and is run by Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli, who reacted to the incident on Twitter late Friday night. Cuccinelli — a supporter of President Trump’s hardline stance on immigration — has been tasked with carrying out recent policy changes, including the so-called “public charge” rule that could deny green cards to many legal immigrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance, according to the Associated Press.
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“Today’s attempted attack on one of our USCIS facilities using a Molotov cocktail is another example of the use of violence in place of debate by those who oppose the proper application of our immigration laws,” Cuccinelli said on Twitter, in a message sharing a link to The Associated Press report.
“This is the 2d attack on a DHS facility in 2 months using a Molotov cocktail. Violence has no place in our society. Thankfully, no one was hurt today. We’re grateful to our security guards & the law enforcement officers of FPS who apprehended and arrested the assailant.”
“This is the 2d attack on a DHS facility in 2 months using a Molotov cocktail. Violence has no place in our society. Thankfully, no one was hurt today.”
Those who work for another Homland Security agency — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — have faced a rapidly escalating series of threats, including protesters menacing their children and shots being fired at their offices, amid a rising tide of anti-ICE rhetoric from the left fueled by congressional Democrats, media voices and presidential hopefuls.
About two weeks ago in San Antonio, at least one vehicle pulled up to a building that houses offices for ICE and a gunman fired shots through a window, FBI officials said. No one was injured. Another building used by ICE was also fired on.
In July, a 69-year-old man — who wrote a manifesto saying he identified with the far-left group Antifa — fired a rifle at an ICE center in Tacoma, Wash., where thousands of migrants were housed. He also set a vehicle on fire and attempted to light propane tanks in an attempt to burn the facility to the ground before he was shot and killed by police.
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It wasn’t clear what prompted the woman to launch the bottle in Friday’s incident in Florida. Security officers handcuffed her and subdued her until she could be arrested by Federal Protective Service officers. Law enforcement officials do not believe this attempted attack was related to other incidents, the Associated Press reported.
The report did not list the woman’s name or what criminal charges she faced. The office was closed for the day.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Travis Fedschun and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
