Trigger Warning: This article mentions details about online hate.
It almost seems like America’s patriotic essence is in jeopardy, as the recent headlines have been filled with immigration raids, terrorist threats, and frustrated critics expressing their thoughts on social media platforms about the unrest around the country. Very few people seem at ease amid the chaos.
An Indiana man has learned his fate after admitting he threatened to “kill many illegals” on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration through a series of alarming TikTok posts. Preston Pickett pleaded guilty to making terrorist threats, according to Marion County court records reviewed by popular news outlet Law&Crime.
He was sentenced to two years in prison, but with credit for time served, he is expected to remain behind bars for less than a year. The incident happened on January 12, 2025, when the FBI alerted the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to threatening TikTok posts originating in their jurisdiction, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said.
On Tuesday, a Marion County judge sentenced Preston Pickett under a plea deal for intimidation to 2 years in prison. Pickett made numerous threats on TikTok to kill immigrants on January 20, Inauguration Day for President Trump. pic.twitter.com/tY78jPC7o3
— Rich Nye (@RichNye13) November 26, 2025
As per the outlet, the 59-year-old made threats to President Donald Trump and claimed that he planned to kill undocumented immigrants once Trump returned to office.
“I will shoot on sight. I don’t check IDs, so you all are illegal to me,” he wrote, according to court documents obtained by FOX59. “I will kill many illegals on January 20.”
He continued posting violent threats: “I will have my kills on the first day Trump takes office,” one read. Another stated, “I will be famous for killing the most illegals in one day.”
Many Americans have expressed anger over Trump’s immigration policies, which began when he came back to power in January. While the crackdown was supposed to be a plan to remove illegal immigrants and criminals who entered the country, it has become a series of seemingly random arrests with no clear strategy
Authorities traced the TikTok account’s IP address and email to Pickett. They went to his Southport residence to speak with him. When officers arrived, Pickett allegedly ran outside yelling that police were “complicit with the illegals in this country.
After being told they were investigating his online threats, Pickett asked whether he had the right to use his “Second Amendment” against “foreign and domestic terrorists.” Officers informed him he did not.
Meanwhile, when he was told that his online threats were unacceptable and were being monitored, Preston Pickett asked whether he had the right to use his “Second Amendment” against “foreign and domestic terrorists.” Officers informed him he did not.
For context, under the Second Amendment, a person is allowed to keep and carry a firearm. It was ratified on December 15, 1791, alongside the other nine amendments that make up the Bill of Rights.
Consequently, authorities seized his cellphone and two firearms, which are to be destroyed under the terms of his plea agreement. This incident was not Pickett’s first run-in with authorities over violent threats.
In March 2024, he allegedly threatened to shoot up a Florida car wash. Similarly, in November 2023, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office received an anonymous threat from a phone registered to him, claiming he intended to shoot employees as they walked to their cars.
🚨 The Second Amendment isn’t about duck hunting.
It’s about keeping a tyrannical government in CHECK.
Let me break it down for the people in the back 👇
“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms… pic.twitter.com/3ZOZ9DQRnE
— Project Constitution (@ProjectConstitu) August 3, 2025
In recent months, threats against Trump and his administration have risen. In a similar incident, 67-year-old James Donald “JD” Vance Jr. reportedly used the social media platform called BlueSky to make online threats to Trump, JD Vance, and also Elon Musk.
According to The Irish Star, in one of his posts, Vance wrote that if Trump, Musk, or the Vice President ever visits his city, “they will leave it in a body bag.”
A Grand Rapids man—who happens to be named James Donald Vance Jr.—was sentenced to 2 years for online threats to kill VP JD Vance and President Trump.
Photo: AP pic.twitter.com/HTTcgemqWR
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) November 18, 2025
“I will either be shot by a Secret Service sniper or spend the rest of my life in prison. I’ve only got about 10 years of life left anyway, so I don’t [expletive language] care either way,” he added.
Back in May 2025, an undocumented immigrant was arrested for allegedly threatening to assassinate Trump in a letter sent to ICE authorities.
