Federal immigration officials narrowly avoided a potentially deadly situation this weekend after an arson attempt at an ICE field office in Yakima, Washington.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, an unidentified suspect smashed a window and set a fire at the back of the property late Saturday night. Flames were spotted charring the building’s glass behind a chain-link fence as thick black smoke rose into the air. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the New York Post that investigators have yet to confirm whether the incident was a deliberate firebombing — but the building is clearly marked as a DHS facility. The complex also houses a Washington state Department of Social and Health Services office.
McLaughlin revealed that assaults on ICE personnel have surged by 830% since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, with multiple incidents tied to Antifa-linked militants. She pointed to the inflammatory rhetoric of certain Democrat politicians as fueling the violence, citing examples from Boston, Minnesota, and Los Angeles.
The Yakima attack follows last month’s violent ambush in Texas, where 10 to 12 heavily armed extremists surrounded the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4th. The group used fireworks and vandalism to lure agents outside, while armed accomplices hid in a wooded area ready to attack. One local police officer was shot in the neck during the chaos.
Police later recovered firearms, tactical gear, body armor, and what officials described as “insurrectionist material.” Several suspects now face attempted murder charges.
Federal authorities are urging vigilance, warning that these attacks are part of a broader, organized campaign against ICE facilities nationwide.