An Arizona man may face up to 20 years in prison for setting fire to an ICE property. The 19-year-old man from Avondale, Gabriel Mendoza-Acoltzi, was arrested on May 7 after a federal grand jury indictment. Acoltzi has been charged with “malicious damage to federal property and willful depredation against property of the United States.”

According to Fox 10, the ICE building incident occurred on February 21 when cameras captured Acoltzi breaking a window and setting fire inside the building. Court documents allege that a nearby camera captured Acoltzi arriving in his Honda Civic. He entered the property and placed a propane tank near the building, as the prosecutors stated.

 

The video then showed Acoltzi swinging the propane tank at the window to break it. He then used a long torch attached to the tank and set the window shades in the lobby on fire. Interestingly, before leaving the premises, the accused also left a message for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, making it clear that Acoltzi felt disdain for the agency.

The video showed Acoltzi interacting with rocks on the sidewalks. The U.S. Attorney’s Office later revealed that the accused had used the rocks to leave a “profane message” on the ground. However, as of writing, it’s unclear what the message really was. As the hate towards ICE grows every day, it has become increasingly clear that the American population is not a fan of the agency, etching remarks like “F–k ICE” to protest against the agency.

ICE has gained immense power since Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The law increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from $10 billion to more than $100 billion through 2029. This has led many U.S. citizens to argue that ICE is doing more harm than good, especially when the agency continues to mistakenly apprehend and assault legal U.S. citizens. citizens without any repercussions.

 

A similar incident took place earlier this month, when ICE agents mistook a legal U.S. resident for an undocumented immigrant and pinned him down. A video of the entire ordeal went viral on X, where the man can be heard screaming, “I have to get my ID.” Neighbors can also be seen arguing with the agents and saying, “He’s from here! Why y’all kidnapping him for?” That said, the American citizens aren’t the only ones criticizing ICE.

Zohran Mamdani has issued an executive order that bans any Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent from entering a New York City property without first obtaining a warrant. “Across this country, day after day, we bear witness to cruelty that staggers the conscience. Masked agents, paid by our own tax dollars, violate the Constitution and visit terror upon our neighbors,” Mamdani said. “That is why this morning, I am signing an executive order that will strengthen our city’s protection of our fellow New Yorkers from abusive immigration enforcement.”