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Int'l Business Times
8 hours ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
ICE Director Claims Masked Agents Are Being Doxed, Terrorized Online Before Naming Department Heads
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons defended the use of masks by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations, citing a sharp rise in online harassment and threats against officers and their families. At a Monday press conference in Boston, officials announced that nearly 1,500 people had been arrested across Massachusetts in May alone. There, Lyons said agents have been "doxed," stalked online and targeted with death threats, according to the Associated Press . The press conference had largely wrapped up when a reporter asked why ICE officers frequently wear masks during arrests. Lyons returned to the podium to answer directly. "They are wearing those masks because we ran an operation with the Secret Service where we arrested someone that was going online, taking their photos, posting their families', their kids' Instagram, their kids' Facebooks and targeting them," he said. According to Lyons, assaults on ICE officers are up 400% compared to this time last year, adding urgency to the agency's concerns. The arrests included individuals ICE described as having "significant" criminal records, among them were allegedly convicted murderers, drug traffickers and individuals wanted by Interpol. Tensions escalated after a chaotic incident on May 8 in Worcester, where a crowd confronted ICE agents attempting to detain a Brazilian woman, who had prior assault charges, as reported by 25 News . In body camera footage later released by the city, multiple community members were seen confronting and shoving officers. One woman was arrested for allegedly throwing a substance at an agent. Lyons and U.S. Attorney Leah Foley both emphasized that interfering with federal law enforcement is a felony offense. "We will not tolerate anyone who impedes or obstructs ICE operations," Foley said, warning that threats against officers would be prosecuted. Before leaving the podium, Lyons pushed back at critics who object to masked arrests. "I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not gonna let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line and their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is," he said. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Temitope Oriola: Fighting violent online network preying on kids requires all-of-society approach
The RCMP announced on Thursday the terrorism-related arrest of a 15-year old Alberta boy. He is being charged under Section 810.011 of the Criminal Code — Fear of terrorism offence. This section of the Criminal Code states that 'A person who fears on reasonable grounds that another person may commit a terrorism offence may, with the attorney general's consent, lay an information before a provincial court judge.' This suggests that the RCMP had reason to believe the boy might carry out an act of terrorism. The boy allegedly belongs to '764', a loose, nodal, rhizomatic, supranational network of online violent entities. The RCMP news release describes 764 network as 'a transnational online ecosystem of violent online predators who routinely lure youth, particularly those in vulnerable sectors, and encourage them to commit sexual acts, self-harm, and the torture of animals. Elements of The Com/764 network are known to have extreme ideological views and are victimizing children through desensitizing and radicalizing them to violence.' This is indeed a national security concern and global problem. In March 2025, the FBI issued a warning regarding 'a sharp increase in the activity of 764 and other violent online networks which operate within the United States and around the globe.' The statement notes that the networks 'methodically target and exploit minors and other vulnerable individuals.' Crimes like rape, murder, child pornography, sextortion, kidnapping, et cetera, have been linked to the network around the world. There have been arrests, charges and/or convictions of its members in Brazil, the U.K., Spain, U.S., Romania, Sweden, and Australia, among others. 764 is believed to have been founded by a Texas teenager, Bradley Cadenhead, in 2021. It has multiple sub-entities. One of the more telling is 'No Lives Matter.' The nihilism — ostensible meaninglessness of life — presupposed by the network is evident in the name. The network encourages members to engage in and livestream self-harm and suicide. This is a quintessentially vile 21st century network. Its activities have been catalyzed by the relative anonymity and instantaneity of the Internet and social media platforms. While we are right to focus on the Facebooks of this world, others like Discord, Twitch and Telegram are being deployed by 764. In September 2022, while appearing before the Standing Committee on Human Rights for the Senate, I stated the need to focus on all forms of terrorism. Jihadi terrorism had been the epicentre of national security concerns with relatively scant attention to 'homegrown' terrorism. That gave an inadvertent latitude to the incel network, for example, to carry out attacks they had been discussing online for weeks without seemingly being interrogated. It contributed to tragedies such as the van attack by Alek Minassian in Toronto in 2018. Words have meanings. It appears we are entering a new era of co-locating and cross-fertilizing people's online and offline words and actions. We learned the hard way. The arrest of the 15-year-old may be viewed as a lesson from the Incel rebellion. The RCMP deserves commendation for moving swiftly before any apparent damage could be done. Dealing with transnational actors like the 764 network requires an all-of-society approach. The significance of the role of social media companies cannot be overstated: what content they allow on their platforms, minimum requirements of registration (if any), and surveillance of suspicious words and images. It is also crucial to strengthen legislation regulating social media organizations. Nonetheless, there is no substitute to parental responsibility. Parents must be vigilant about the online activities of their children. It may be cool at first that a child almost always remains in their room but being camped in the basement for days and weeks on end meeting with online friends should elicit parental curiosity. Social engagement of young people is important. Such online groups prey on social isolation, alienation and boredom of young people. We need to provide opportunities for sports, volunteering and other avenues to bond with non-criminal peers. Such activities may also contribute to building the confidence of our young people. Mental health support is fundamental given the self-harm and suicidal ideation that are integral to the imprimatur of 764. I strongly recommend the RCMP resource page on what signs parents can observe to prevent entanglement of children in violent online networks. Temitope Oriola is professor of criminology and recipient of the J. Gordin Kaplan Award, the University of Alberta's most prestigious honour for research excellence. 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