Officials released a photo and details on Thursday about a suspected arson attempt on an Atlanta immigration facility in the latest of several such incidents this year.
A man threw a bottle that served as “an improvised incendiary device” at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Tuesday night, but it was caught on a fence, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. At least three other current or proposed immigration facilities have been targets of similar fire attacks this year amid outrage over President Donald Trump’s mass deportations.
“This latest attack is part of a dangerous and unacceptable escalation of violence against the men and women of ICE who are simply enforcing the laws of the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “Irresponsible rhetoric from sanctuary politicians and radical activists has contributed to a massive increase in violence and threats against federal law enforcement officers performing their Congressionally-mandated duties.”
“Assaults on our officers and facilities will not be tolerated,” Mullin said. “Anyone who targets federal law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Atlanta police saw the suspect throw the item and flee the scene when they pursued him, according to the DHS. The FBI also released photos of the male suspect on Wednesday with a $20,000 offer for information leading to his identification and arrest.
The Department of Justice is already prosecuting defendants for anti-ICE property damage attacks in New York and Arizona.
REWARD: UP TO $20,000
The FBI is seeking information about an unidentified male suspected of involvement in an attempted arson at the DHS/ICE building at 180 Ted Turner Drive in downtown Atlanta on October 20, 2026, at approximately 8:14 p.m. The suspect fled southbound on… pic.twitter.com/JpBmsIOX6N
— FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) October 21, 2026
The Arizona defendant is accused of pulling up to the Arizona ICE property in a car in February, breaking a window with a propane tank, and torching window shades inside the lobby while on surveillance video. After his May arrest, he told investigators he wanted to “go be Batman” to save “his people” from DHS, according to prosecutors.
Law enforcement captured the New York defendant, a former U.S. soldier, immediately after he allegedly set off fireworks at 26 Federal Plaza, shot a BB gun at the building, poured a bucket of flammable liquid at an entrance, and caused an explosion with it. The bombing left one victim with a gash on their head from flying debris, the DOJ said.
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“His alleged acts appear to have been motivated by his anti-Government and anti-ICE beliefs,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said about the incident. The targeted building contains an immigration court, an ICE field office, and ICE holding cells.
A woman also pleaded guilty to a federal explosives charge in Missouri after trying to burn down a warehouse in February, the DOJ announced in May. ICE planned to use the warehouse to detain illegal immigrants but did not go through with the real estate deal.