The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco arrested Daniel Barber, a convicted murderer, for sending violent death threats to Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons.
The arrest comes amid what officials describe as a significant increase in threats and violence directed at ICE personnel. According to the DHS news release, Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco arrested Daniel Barber on April 10 for the threats sent via email on June 6, 2025. The release detailed how Barber wrote that ICE law enforcement officers deserve to be executed with “two bullets to the back of their maggot Nazi heads” and prayed that Americans would rise up and deliver that fate to them and the director. Barber was previously convicted of murder and robbery with intent to cause bodily harm in 1990, along with other offenses.
The DHS said Barber was identified as the sender after ICE received the email and launched an investigation. He faces charges related to the threats against federal law enforcement. The arrest occurred amid a documented surge in violence directed at ICE personnel as the agency carries out its mission to remove criminal aliens from the U.S. Local and federal coordination enabled the swift apprehension in the San Francisco area.
ICE law enforcement officers are facing an 8,000% rise in death threats, along with an over 1,300% increase in assaults and a surge of more than 3,300% in vehicle attacks. The DHS said that sanctuary politicians created an environment that contributes to assaults on law enforcement.
Homeland Security Investigations serves as the main investigative arm of ICE within the Department of Homeland Security. The agency conducts criminal investigations into cross-border crimes, including threats against federal officers, financial fraud and other offenses committed by individuals with criminal histories, according to the agency.
