‘Palantir Powers ICE’: Climate Libs Arrested After Blocking Office Entrance
'We're disrupting Palantir's business'
Illegal alien resists arrest, punches ICE agent in NYC melee, according to DHS
As violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers erupts in Los Angeles, federal immigration agents in New York City are facing similar hostility.
Protests broke out in lower Manhattan following ICE arrests at a federal courthouse.
'Outside a federal law enforcement building in New York City, more than 150 rioters erupted to interfere with ICE's immigration enforcement operations.'
On Friday, a video circulated on social media, showing a hectic scuffle involving plainclothes ICE agents arresting Joaquin Rosario Espinal, a Dominican Republic national residing illegally in the U.S.
The video captured officers wrestling Espinal to the ground in the courthouse's narrow halls, crowded with activists and members of the media.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Blaze News that ICE was attempting to arrest Espinal immediately after his immigration proceedings were dismissed. The officers allegedly faced resistance from him, activists, and even reporters.
RELATED: Clear messaging, closed border: Homeland Security’s campaign is working
McLaughlin claimed that Espinal "resisted arrest and punched an officer."
"A woman was also arrested for assaulting an officer. Despite interference by the media and members of the public, the officers ultimately detained this illegal alien and placed him under arrest," she told Blaze News.
"Our officers are doing their jobs by removing public safety threats and enforcing our nation's immigration laws. Assaulting, resisting, impeding, or harassing ICE officers is against the law," she added. "The violence against ICE must end."
Since President Donald Trump began his second term, assaults against ICE officers have increased 413%, according to the DHS.
Over the weekend, following Espinal's arrest, anti-ICE protests took over Manhattan.
WABC-TV reported that the protest turned into a demonstration against the New York Police Department, with more than 20 activists taken into custody.
NYPD officials told Fox News Digital that officers arrived at the scene around noon on Saturday after authorities received a call about a disorderly group.
"The demonstrators were instructed verbally numerous times to vacate the roadway and did not comply," the NYPD stated.
According to NY1, protesters attempted to block vehicles exiting the courthouse that they believed were carrying detained immigrants.
RELATED: Fiery footage shows radicals in LA savagely attack law enforcement on second night of violent riots
The DHS referred to the anti-police demonstration as a riot.
"Outside a federal law enforcement building in New York City, more than 150 rioters erupted to interfere with ICE's immigration enforcement operations," the DHS wrote in a Saturday post on X.
"Thankfully, unlike in Los Angeles, the local police department quickly responded to the riots," the statement continued. "Secretary [Kristi] Noem's message to rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
NYPD detains 80 'pro-Hamas thugs' accused of Columbia library takeover as Rubio targets visas
The New York Police Department detained dozens of protesters who allegedly took over Columbia University's Butler Library at the school's Morningside Heights campus on Wednesday.
According to the New York Post, the roughly five-hour-long protest left two school safety officers injured. Footage appeared to show the anti-Israel mob shoving a security guard to force their way into the library's front entrance, interrupting students inside studying.
'Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.'
The masked protesters shouted, "Free, free Palestine," and placed signs over bookshelves, with one declaring the space a "liberated zone." The rioters also spray-painted the walls of the library and hung Palestinian flags.
A defaced glass case read, "Columbia will burn 4 the martyrs," according to a photo shared on social media.
Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman stated that officials believed that some of the protesters were not affiliated with the school.
In a Wednesday statement, Shipman said, "The individuals who disrupted activities in Butler Reading Room 301 still refuse to identify themselves and leave the building. Due to the number of individuals participating in the disruption inside and outside of the building, a large group of people attempting to force their way into Butler Library creating a safety hazard, and what we believe to be the significant presence of individuals not affiliated with the University, Columbia has taken the necessary step of requesting the presence of NYPD to assist in securing the building and the safety of our community."
She declared that such disruptions "will not be tolerated."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) responded to Wednesday's demonstration.
"At the written request of Columbia University, the NYPD is entering the campus to remove individuals who are trespassing. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city," Adams said. "To Jewish New Yorkers, especially the students at Columbia who feel threatened or unsafe attending class because of these events: know that your mayor stands with you and will always work to keep you safe."
The NYPD told the Daily Signal that it made 80 arrests. However, as of Thursday morning, no charges had been brought against the campus disruptors, the department said.
Columbia University released another statement on Thursday, notifying students that the library had reopened.
Jewish Community Relations Council Mark Treyger called the disruptive protest "not normal under any circumstance."
"It is unsafe, unbelievable, and unacceptable to have fully masked strangers barging into learning institutions," Treyger said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to look into the protesters' visa status.
"Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation," Rubio wrote in a post on social media.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) responded to Rubio's post, stating, "Attention pro-Hamas rioters on college campuses across the country: you are on notice. America will no longer tolerate your antisemitic violence, destruction, harassment, and intimidation."
Johnson thanked President Donald Trump and Rubio for cracking down on anti-Semitic violence.
Over the first 100 days of Trump's second term, the administration revoked approximately 4,000 student visas. A senior State Department official previously told the Post that 90% had a "serious" criminal record.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
NYPD officer sent obscene material to undercover cop posing as 14-year-old girl: DA's office
A New York City Police Department officer allegedly sent obscene material to an undercover cop posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to authorities.
Travis DeSouza — a 35-year-old NYPD officer of Briarwood — was charged with attempted dissemination of indecent material to minors in the first degree, official misconduct, obscenity in the third degree, and attempted endangerment of the welfare of a child. If convicted, DeSouza faces up to four years in prison.
'I should be telling you to stop ... but your maturity and the way you act is different.'
DeSouza — who was released without bail Thursday, according to court records — reportedly worked in the Law Enforcement Explorers program at the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn.
The program "provides young men and women from the city's diverse communities with an introduction to a career in law enforcement or a related field in the criminal justice system."
"Explorers are taught the importance of higher education, self-discipline, and respect for diversity and human dignity through training, involvement in community service projects, and other Exploring events," the program description states.
The program is said to employ "positive adult role models," including "law enforcement officers who help young adults see officers as fellow human beings."
The program is "geared" toward young people ages 14 to 20.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a Friday statement: "On October 3, 2024, at approximately 5:49 p.m., an undercover officer, posing as a 14-year-old girl, met with DeSouza, who oversaw the program. DeSouza asked for the undercover officer’s age, and she told DeSouza that she was 14. The undercover officer asked DeSouza for his phone number, and he provided it."
The undercover officer reportedly had conversations with DeSouza on the Snapchat app from Oct. 8 to Oct. 10.
The DA's office stated, "On October 10, at approximately 10:11 p.m., DeSouza allegedly told the undercover, 'You something else.' About a minute later, DeSouza sent the undercover a photo of a man wearing boxer shorts with his hand on his genitals."
Citing the criminal complaint, the New York Post reported that the undercover agent asked DeSouza on Snapchat: "What’s under those shorts?"
DeSouza reportedly replied, "Something big, maybe more than you can handle."
DeSouza allegedly set the social media messages to disappear immediately.
The Post noted that DeSouza acknowledged the age difference and allegedly told the undercover cop, "And I don’t know even why you got me thinking things I shouldn’t because of how far we are of age LOL I should be telling you to stop ... but your maturity and the way you act is different."
DeSouza allegedly sent some of the illicit messages from a New York Police Department building in Queens.
DeSouza has been suspended without pay from the NYPD, according to the department.
Katz stated, “As alleged, this defendant took advantage of his position with the NYPD to prey on someone he thought was a 14-year-old who happened to be a police officer on assignment."
Katz continued, "The Explorers is an amazing program and our kids need to trust and have faith in its leaders. Although he was told that the ‘girl’ was just 14, the defendant allegedly sent explicit content to her. Thank you to our partners in the NYPD for their assistance with this investigation."
DeSouza is scheduled to return to court on June 11.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Liberals lose it after Trump announces Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director: 'Feels like a bad dream'
President Donald Trump announced Sunday evening that FBI Director Kash Patel has tapped former U.S. Secret Service agent and popular conservative commentator Dan Bongino to be his right-hand man.
The news that Bongino will serve as FBI deputy director was well received on the right and by members of the Trump administration. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, for instance, noted, "No better patriot or professional. Patel-Bongino atop the FBI is pure [fire]."
White House adviser Stephen Miller wrote, "Dan Bongino is the warrior America needs in this vital role."
On the left, however, there was weeping and gnashing of teeth — par for the course given that Democrats and liberal pundits were still in the process of melting down over Patel's Thursday confirmation.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) tweeted, "Trump has chosen grifters to lead the FBI. Kash Patel sells 'K$SH' branded merch, vaccine reversal pills. Dan Bongino's entire show is telling listeners the world is ending so they buy the dozens of survivalist products he sells."
Murphy, who recently humiliated himself by attacking Vice President JD Vance and the Trump family over a post from a Lara Trump fan account, added, "I know this feels like a bad dream. It isn't."
'The choice of Mr. Bongino is a radical and abrupt departure.'
The news feed on the liberal X knockoff Bluesky was crowded with similar complaints, which in many cases recycled the attacks previously used by establishmentarians against Hegseth, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
One self-identified member of the 2024 Kamala Harris team wrote, "Two of Trump's most devout sycophants have now been installed at the highest, most powerful echelons of the FBI — a law enforcement agency heretofore known for its tradition of independence," adding that the duo are "the least experienced leadership pair in the entire 117-year history of the FBI."
Adam Cohen, the vice chair of the anti-Trump group Lawyers for Good Government, similarly characterized Bongino as "unqualified," suggesting that the FBI deputy director's ideas "are generally ludicrous conspiracy theories, totally devoid of fact."
The New York Times was among the liberal publications that rushed to frame the choice, which requires no Senate confirmation, as unorthodox and "radical."
"In the past, F.B.I. directors have selected senior agents with extensive experience to essentially run the bureau's operations, a complex and grueling job that requires working closely with foreign partners and navigating sensitive investigations," said a Times piece on the announcement. "The choice of Mr. Bongino is a radical and abrupt departure from that practice and raises startling questions about how two people who have never served as F.B.I. agents will oversee the vast surveillance and investigative powers of an agency of 38,000 people and a budget of about $11 billion."
The Times further claimed that Bongino "often peddles rampant misinformation." Two of the examples that the Times provided of "conspiracy theories" advanced by Bongino were, however, fact-based — namely that masks were ineffective at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, which the Cochrane Collaboration's 2023 systematic review confirmed, and that Democrats spied on Trump's 2016 campaign.
MSNBC analyst Tim Miller was among the pundits who appeared to have trouble coping, writing, "What in the living f**k."
'Buckle up, America!'
According to the website for his unsuccessful 2012 U.S. Senate campaign, Bongino started as a police cadet with the New York Police Department in 1995 and became a full officer in 1997. After two years spent patrolling the streets of Brooklyn, he joined the Secret Service in 1999 as a special agent. The 50-year-old father of two who beat Hodgkin lymphoma during the pandemic joined the USSS' Presidential Protection Division in 2006 and remained on protective duty with former President Barack Obama.
In addition to penning best-selling books in the time since, including "Exonerated: The Failed Takedown of President Donald Trump by the Swamp," Bongino has long hosted a massively popular podcast that has consistently ranked high among the top political commentary shows.
"Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI, by the man who will be the best ever Director, Kash Patel."
"Dan has a Masters Degree in Psychology from C.U.N.Y., and an MBA from Penn State. He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York's Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve," added Trump.
Following Trump's announcement, Bongino thanked the president, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel on X, then retweeted a post that said, "THE DREAM TEAM. KASH PATEL. DAN BONGINO. FAFO. Buckle up, America!" The acronym used in the message shared by the FBI deputy director, "FAFO," stands for "f**k around and find out."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Border czar Homan optimistic but firm ahead of alleged second meeting with NYC Mayor Adams
Border czar Tom Homan claims he is scheduled to meet with Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams later this week to discuss the illegal immigration crisis, and he seems cautiously optimistic that the two will find common ground.
On Tuesday, Homan joined John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby on the "Cats & Cosby Show" on WABC 770 AM and revealed details about the forthcoming meeting. Homan said he is planning to be in NYC again on Thursday to talk with Adams about ways local and federal law enforcement can work together to apprehend dangerous illegal aliens in the area.
"I’m hoping we come to an agreement where his officers will help my officers remove these public safety threats, especially Tren de Aragua and the other alien gangs that are creating havoc in New York," Homan told the radio hosts.
"He’s all in on addressing public safety threats that are here illegally and helping me find these missing children."
'Let’s hope Thursday night I head back to DC with a great agreement.'
Homan and Adams met in December to discuss immigration, and afterward, Homan praised Adams for his understanding of the issue and his ready willingness to work with federal agents despite vehement opposition from other Democrats.
"He gets it. And today he proved that as the mayor of New York City, he's more concerned with public safety than politics," Homan said at the time.
"I think New York City is about to get a lot safer," Homan added. "I think New York City is about to send a strong message."
While Homan seems confident that Adams will continue to be cooperative in this second meeting, he did caution that nothing is set in stone yet.
"I’m coming up there Thursday to meet with the mayor — either he comes to the table or we go around him," Homan said, according to the New York Post.
"Let’s hope Thursday night I head back to D.C. with a great agreement."
The mayor's office declined to confirm the alleged second meeting between Adams and Homan, but press secretary Kayla Mamelak did stress that Adams has long supported removing criminal illegal immigrants from NYC.
"The mayor has also been clear that he wants to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to better the lives of New Yorkers," Mamelak said. "That work includes going after the violent offenders who are wreaking havoc on our streets and ensuring they leave our city after being convicted of a crime and serving a jail sentence."
This alleged meeting comes just days after the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump moved to dismiss the charges brought against Adams under the Biden administration.
Trump has signaled his sympathy with Adams as a fellow victim of apparent political lawfare, but critics suggest that Trump is playing politics with Adams as well, since the charges could be revisited after the NYC mayoral election later this year.
"It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the mayor hostage," Al Sharpton said in a statement Monday.
For now, Adams faces a tough re-election race. Federal indictments aside, high-profile Democrats such as NYC comptroller Brad Lander and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie have already begun fundraising hundreds of thousands and in some cases over a million dollars, hammering Adams for his legal woes and working relationship with Trump.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from office following allegations of sexual misconduct and of fudging the number of nursing-home COVID deaths, has also been mentioned as a possible contender.
A recent poll showed Cuomo leaving the competition in the dust, should he decide to jump in, outpacing Adams 31% to 12%. However, his lead nearly evaporated after respondents were reminded of his scandal-plagued tenure as governor.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Police reportedly have described NYC deli stabbing suspect as transgender
Police have described the suspect in the fatal stabbing of a postal worker in Harlem as transgender, according to a New York Post story published Friday afternoon.
"The repeat offender — who has been described by cops as a transgendered woman — now faces murder charges for the brutal knifing of Ray Hodges, an on-duty USPS letter carrier who was grabbing lunch at the deli at 168 Lenox Ave," the Post's story says.
WABC said police found Hodges stabbed or slashed multiple times — including in the torso, arms, back, and neck — inside the establishment.
In addition, the stabbing suspect — 24-year-old Jaia Cruz — was arrested at least five times before Thursday's fatal stabbing of Hodges, the Post added, citing law enforcement sources.
The paper added that the suspect also has a history of knife violence.
More from the Post:
In July 2020, Cruz was caught waving an open box cutter at another person in Midtown West and shouting, “I’m going to cut him,” sources said. Cruz was ordered to get on the ground but refused.
Cruz was ordered to get on the ground, but refused. She was then pulled away by officers and busted for resisting arrest.
Just two weeks later, Cruz was arrested again for a 4:30 a.m. tag-team robbery — she and another individual used knives to steal a man’s phone and wallet after the victim invited the pair to “hang out.”
During Thursday's fatal stabbing of Hodges, New York City police said he and Cruz seemingly argued over who ordered first at the deli before the dispute turned physical.
Hodges, 36, of the Bronx, was working his postal route when he went to get lunch at Joe’s Grocery around 2:30 p.m., police told WPIX-TV.
As Hodges was waiting to pay, an argument ensued over who was next in line, police told WPIX, adding that Cruz is accused of stabbing Hodges seven times. WABC said police found Hodges stabbed or slashed multiple times — including in the torso, arms, back, and neck — inside the establishment. Hodges was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, WABC said, adding that a weapon has been recovered.
Investigators told WPIX a witness identified the suspect near the scene of the crime. Cruz was was charged with second-degree murder, police told WPIX.
An initial story from the Post, citing sources, said "the knife-wielding suspect went crazy and gutted the victim in the stomach after he stepped in front of her in line, leaving his blood smeared all over the floors and glass door."
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service told WPIX in a separate story that Hodges was a letter carrier and was on duty. WPIX said his postal cart was seen outside the deli.
A friend of the person of interest told WABC that it's not in her friend's character to attack another person without a reason: "She's a nice young lady. She is not the type that just come out in the street and attacking people. This is just a bad neighborhood. What had happened, I have no idea because I was not around yet. I don't know. But I do know if she said it was in self defense, it was in self defense."
Postal worker Kathy Singleton told WABC that Hodges "was a nice young man."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Today's top stories
www.theblaze.com