Federal authorities are investigating an arson and vandalism incident at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Yakima, Washington, over the weekend, marking the latest in a surge of violent attacks against ICE personnel.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, an unidentified assailant shattered a window of the ICE building by throwing a rock before setting a fire behind the facility on Saturday. No injuries were reported.
Photographs from the scene show flames burning through grass behind a chain-link fence and a plume of black smoke rising from the property. The ICE facility, located roughly 140 miles southeast of Seattle, is publicly listed as a Department of Homeland Security building and also houses offices for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services.
Local law enforcement is investigating the incident as an act of arson.
Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin condemned the attack in a statement to The Post, linking the incident to a broader national trend of hostility toward immigration enforcement officers.
“This is part of a dangerous pattern,” McLaughlin said. “Assaults on ICE personnel have surged by 830% as the Trump administration carries out a renewed campaign to enforce the law and remove criminal aliens.”
McLaughlin directly criticized Democratic officials for what she described as inflammatory rhetoric and sanctuary policies that place immigration agents at risk.
“Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor [Michelle] Wu of Boston, [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz, and Mayor [Karen] Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE,” said McLaughlin. “From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi Gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale.”
She emphasized the department’s commitment to prosecuting offenders: “Secretary [Kristi] Noem has been clear: Anyone who seeks to harm law enforcement officers will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
No arrests have been made at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
