WASHINGTON — Federal officials said Wednesday they will be ramping up a crackdown on visa overstays after a terrorist attack in Boulder on Sunday.
The number of victims in a Boulder firebombing attack on a group demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages has climbed to 15, plus a dog, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
“This urgent crackdown comes after authorities arrested 45-year-old Mohammed Sabry Soliman for setting at least eight Americans on fire in a shocking terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon.
Soliman is an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa in the U.S. and remained in the country unlawfully since 2022, officials said. He faces federal hate crime and multiple state felony charges.
“There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Anyone who thinks they can come to America and advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism – think again. You are not welcome here,“ Noem said.
“We will find you, deport you, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Noem said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will work together in the review of immigration records “and will take immediate appropriate actions to crackdown on visa overstays,” officials said.
Noem’s comments came after U.S. Attorney Leah Foley on Wednesday condemned recent comments made by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu who called ICE immigration officers “secret police.”
“Referring to federal agents as ‘secret police’ is offensive,” Foley said in a video statement on social media. “There are no secret police.”
“ICE agents along with other federal law enforcement partners are making immigration arrests. That is no secret,” Foley said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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