The Department of Homeland Security responded to an apparent threat to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from a group of thugs on social media.

The video was posted to Instagram and other platforms and showed a group of young black males with the message, “ICE[,] We’re on the way. Word in the streets cartels put a $50K bounty on y’all.”

‘If you threaten or lay hands on our law enforcement officers we will hunt you down and you will find out, really quick.’

The account is titled “Floridanamedjit” and belongs to an influencer with 26,000 followers on YouTube and 119,000 on Instagram.

The official account for the DHS responded on the X platform in a statement that included the video.

“FAFO. If you threaten or lay hands on our law enforcement officers we will hunt you down and you will find out, really quick,” read the message. “We’ll see you cowards soon.”

When Blaze News reached out to the influencer for comment, he offered the following response:

“This was a skit and a joke 😂😭 why are people taking this to [sic] serious!”

“It’s literally a skit video. It’s not real! It’s just a caption. It’s nothing to be taken serious about,” he added in response to Blaze News’ follow-up questions.

A previous report from the DHS indicated that criminal cartels had placed bounties on federal agents, including $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials. Kidnapping or non-lethal attacks on agents could allegedly garner between $5,000 and $10,000, while intelligence-gathering on agents could allegedly garner $2,000.

“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law; they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

RELATED: FBI: Anti-ICE messaging on bullets at shooting scene of ICE facility in Dallas

President Donald Trump’s escalation of border enforcement and mass deportations elicited many protests across the country and some violent attacks.

In one particularly heinous attack, an ICE facility in Texas came under gunfire in September, and three detainees were shot, two of whom died. The alleged gunman then committed suicide and was later identified as 36-year-old Bratton Dean Wilkinson.

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Disgraced former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York will be a free man, according to President Donald Trump.

The president said in a post on social media Friday evening that he had commuted the sentence of Santos, who pleaded guilty to 23 felony counts related to campaign donation fraud.

‘I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison. … Good luck George, have a great life!’

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” wrote Trump.

The president compared the situation to that of Democrat Sen. Dick Blumenthal of Connecticut, who had admitted to lying about his military service in Vietnam.

“This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” the president continued.

“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” he added. “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”

RELATED: George Santos pleads guilty to 23 felony charges, faces up to 7 years in prison: ‘I’m taking responsibility’

Santos surrendered himself in July to begin serving a maximum sentence of 87 months in prison.

“Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote in a farewell message.

“From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been!” he added. “Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.”

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In a recent interview on ABC’s “This Week,” a discussion regarding Trump’s border czar Tom Homan turned ugly when host George Stephanopoulos pulled the plug rather than let Vice President JD Vance continue speaking.

The pair were discussing a bizarre allegation that Homan was caught on tape taking $50,000 from undercover FBI agents “who were trying to entrap him because they were trying to get him on taking a bribe to give certain people government contracts.”

“It’s convoluted; it’s weird,” BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler says, before playing the clip of Vance and Stephanopoulos.

“I don’t know what tape you’re referring to, George. I saw media reports that Tom Homan accepted a bribe. There’s no evidence of that. And here’s, George, why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you’re losing credibility,” Vance said.

“Because you’re talking for now five minutes with the vice president of the United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I’ve read about, but I don’t even know the video that you’re talking about,” he continued.

“You are focused on a bogus story. You’re insinuating criminal wrongdoing against a guy who has done nothing wrong instead of focusing on the fact that our country is struggling because our government’s shut down,” he added.

Vance went on to ask Stephanopoulos to “talk about the real issues” and explained that it would be much more beneficial for the American people instead of listening to the host go down “some weird left-wing rabbit hole where the facts clearly show that Tom Homan didn’t engage in any criminal wrongdoing.”

“It’s not a weird left-wing rabbit hole. I didn’t insinuate anything,” he said, before shutting down the interview.

“Thank you for your time this morning,” he said, while Vance continued to speak.

“Let me just tell you, as someone who interviews high-profile people on this show from time to time, if it is even so much as a lower-level member of Congress, you do not interrupt them,” Wheeler comments, shocked.

“Do you think George Stephanopoulos would have cut away from Kamala Harris while she was talking and not just speak over the top of her, but take her off the screen and turn it to a commercial break?” she asks, adding, “Can you even imagine?”

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A Florida mother has been hit with more than 40 charges related to “grotesque” child pornography and sexual battery involving her 11-year-old daughter. The mom could face the death penalty if she is convicted of the horrific crimes.

On Monday, a 34-year-old woman from St. Petersburg was arrested by detectives and hit with 41 total charges, including 13 counts of transmission of child pornography, 13 counts of sexual performance by a child, four counts of capital sexual battery, four counts of aggravated child abuse, three counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, three counts of sexual activities involving animals, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

‘This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it.’

The mother could face the death penalty if convicted of capital sexual battery of a person under 12 years of age.

The suspect was transported to the Pinellas County Jail and remains in custody without bond.

Police urged that the name of the female suspect not be released to protect the child’s identity. A 38-year-old male was also not identified because the investigation is ongoing.

Police said the man involved in the child sexual abuse material case is facing several felony charges, including child pornography and traveling to meet a minor to engage in sex.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “Detectives began their investigation after learning that a 38-year-old male subject was involved in obtaining child pornography and meeting with young children.”

Police said detectives determined that the male obtained child porn from the female suspect.

“Detectives learned that the woman had been forcing her 11-year-old daughter to perform sexual acts on the suspect, herself, and the family dog,” police stated. “Detectives say that the suspect would record and photograph these incidents, sharing them with a 38-year-old male.”

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference, “The things that the mother did to the daughter are graphic, and they are grotesque.”

“During March and April of this year, the mother created at least 14 videos of her 11-year-old daughter posing at the mother’s direction and engaging in various sex acts, including bestiality with the family dog,” Gualtieri stated.

Gualtieri noted that the mother used sex toys on her daughter.

“These acts constitute sexual battery or, as commonly referred to as rape, and because of the child’s age, the mother’s crimes are capital offenses punishable by death,” Gualtieri said.

Sheriff Gualtieri said the mother admitted to forcing her daughter to perform sex acts on video and sending the videos to the man when she was interviewed by detectives.

Gualtieri added, “These cases are the worst cases of child abuse, and in this case, it’s not just sexually abusing a child; it’s gross sexual abuse of a young girl by her mother to satisfy an adult with a perverse craving for watching kids engaged in sex acts.”

Investigators are attempting to determine whether money was exchanged for the illicit videos.

Gualtieri said investigators are looking into whether the mother sent explicit videos to others.

RELATED: Dad who fostered about 20 children caught with child porn while leaving cruise with pregnant wife, kids: Affidavit

The sheriff said the victim’s father and a sibling lived in the same home. He added that investigators do not believe the father was involved in the alleged child sex crimes. The victim is being taken care of by the father, but the Department of Children and Families is “very involved” in the case.

Gualtieri said there are no indications so far that the sibling was sexually exploited by the mother.

The mother made her first court appearance on Tuesday, when a judge ordered the suspect not to have any contact with her daughter.

WTVT-TV reported that the father was at the hearing, and he was “visibly upset and appeared to be praying at one point.”

Gualtieri stressed that there is a significant issue with child pornography crimes.

The sheriff noted that 84 different people have been booked into the Pinellas County Jail on child pornography charges since January, resulting in approximately 900 charges of possessing or distributing child pornography.

“Think about that: That’s 900 different videos of kids, mostly in the 5- to 12-year-old range, engaged in perverse sex acts for the pleasure of adults who seek, obtain, and watch these videos,” Gualtieri said.

“This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s ruining kids’ lives,” Gualtieri said of the outbreak of child porn crimes.

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Far-left New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is getting bizarre praise from a liberal actor known for offending Christians.

Actor John Fugelsang told a CNN panel that the socialist’s policies were far closer to the teachings of Jesus Christ than those of the other candidates and then compared Mamdani to Martin Luther King Jr.

‘This guy Mamdani is not afraid to stand up to Trump. He is so charming and so popular.’

Mamdani had just participated in a heated debate with former New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo, currently running as an independent, and crime-prevention organizer Curtis Sliwa on Thursday, and the CNN panel was considering the policies proposed by the candidates.

“Mamdani says he wants to seize the means of production,” objected panelist Brad Todd.

“Mamdani is, in his policies, so much closer to the actual teachings of Jesus!” Fugelsang fired back.

“Did he say that or not? Did he say seize the means of production? He did!” Todd responded.

“Of the means of production from what? In Manhattan? Of what, falafels?” Fugelsang joked.

“They’re Democratic Socialists. It’s not the same. This is what they did to MLK as well!” he added. “This guy Mamdani is not afraid to stand up to Trump. He is so charming and so popular, record-high turnout of young people …”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Todd replied.

“In the mayoral primary! That’s the numbers — I’m not making that up!” Fugelsang said.

Video of the exchange was posted to social media.

RELATED: Rolling Stone is getting crushed online for trying to whitewash controversies around Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani was hammered by Cuomo and Sliwa during the debate for his past comments endorsing socialist policies, and Mamdani tried to appear less extreme. Many of his policies depend on dramatically increasing spending and hiking taxes.

Fugelsang has used his platform to chide Christians for years.

“The only ‘war on Christianity’ is the one waged by self-professed Christians who think Jesus hates the same people they do,” he wrote in 2015.

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President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up the pressure on Democrats who refuse to reopen the government over two weeks into the shutdown.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced Friday that he will be pausing over $11 billion of project funding across several blue cities. This pause will halt funds for “lower-priority” projects overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore.

‘We’re only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you.’

This pause comes more than two weeks into the Democrat-induced government shutdown after nearly a dozen failed votes on the Senate floor.

“The Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers’ ability to manage billions of dollars in projects,” Vought wrote in a post on X. “The Corps will be immediately pausing over $11 billion in lower-priority projects & considering them for cancellation, including projects in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore. More information to come from the Army Corps of Engineers.”

RELATED: White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

This pressure is the latest of several actions taken by the Trump administration since the government shut down on October 1. Ahead of the shutdown, Vought notified agencies to begin drafting reduction-in-force notices that later resulted in over 4,200 layoffs across various prominent agencies.

A Clinton-appointed judge in California has since halted those RIFs.

Vought also previously paused billions of dollars‘ worth of infrastructure and environmental projects in other blue cities like Chicago and New York City.

At the same time, the Trump administration is working to minimize shutdown pains for the military, working through Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure that service members received their October 15 paycheck.

RELATED: White House dares Democrats with nuclear response to looming shutdown

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Image

Trump previously warned Democrats that his administration would take these actions if they did not join Republicans to reopen the government. Assuming all 53 Republicans vote in favor of the funding resolution, at least seven Democrats need to join the GOP to reopen the government.

“We’re only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting last week.

“Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them,” Trump added. “No, every day it’s actually getting worse for them, and they’re having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop.”

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CHICAGO, Ill. — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview has been the site of many rowdy and sometimes violent protests as Operation Midway Blitz is well under way. With rioters consistently attempting to block the building’s driveway and road to disrupt operations, the federal government installed a temporary security fence to keep crowds at a distance.

That changed this week after a judge ruled the fence must come down after a lawsuit was brought by the city, saying the installment prevented emergency services from reaching other buildings behind the fence. The fence was effective in preventing agitators from blocking the driveway and forced the crowds to switch locations to gather. Border Patrol and ICE agents still had to repeatedly clear the roads to allow federal vehicles to reach the facility.

‘What’s happening is not just regular business there. It was rioting.’

Perhaps in an attempt to prevent the National Guard from being deployed, the Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff’s Office have sent manpower to assist federal agents in keeping the roads clear. While the extra manpower has been put to use with the disruptive anti-ICE crowds, ICE says the removal of the fence means agents cannot use yet another tool in their toolbox to keep themselves, detainees, and the facility safe.

“Anyone should be able to come up to a federal building when they have some business there, but what’s happening is not just regular business there. It was rioting,” Sam Olsen, field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in Chicago, told Blaze News.

RELATED: Border Patrol squashes anti-ICE blockade outside ICE facility in Illinois

Julio Rosas/Blaze News

“That fence did give us some additional protection,” Olsen noted, adding that it was good to see local and state law enforcement on the ground after weeks of no support.

Concrete barriers now line the roads around the facility to keep crowds on the sidewalk, though sometimes those barriers do not deter people from jumping over them.

The security fence also gave ICE agents breathing room as they wait to see whether the National Guard can be deployed. While soldiers from Texas were sent to protect the building in Broadview and were seen patrolling behind the fence, their deployment has been halted in a similar fashion to the deployment in Portland, Oregon.

Olsen said the recent deadly shooting at the ICE facility in Dallas, which killed two detainees and injured a third, is fresh in agents’ minds as they work to secure the building near Chicago. Despite the over 1000% increase in attacks on federal agents, both Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) continue to blame the violence on Homeland Security personnel instead of anti-ICE crowds attacking agents conducting operations.

Friday morning saw more chaotic protests in Broadview down the street from the ICE building, with ISP troopers arresting multiple people who refused to leave the road when ordered. Some also expressed concern about the lack of fencing ahead of the No Kings protests slated to take place in Chicago as well as all over the country.

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​Politics