Left: Donald Trump speaks at the annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, DC, in June 2024 (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP). Right: Justin Novoa (Franklin County Sheriff’s Office).
In a troubling development, a man from Ohio is now facing serious federal charges due to a series of online threats targeting supporters of Donald Trump and immigration officers. The Justice Department reports that the accused, 21-year-old Justin Novoa from Columbus, made incendiary remarks such as expressing eagerness to harm ICE agents and derogatorily referring to Trump supporters.
According to a federal complaint, Novoa used his social media account on X to issue threats, including a post that read, “Blast every ICE agent.” The complaint further reveals his alleged remarks advocating for violence against immigration officers, whom he described with expletives, while criticizing their use of unmarked vehicles and lack of identification.
The alarming posts, which were made throughout 2025, aimed at a wide range of targets including ICE agents, Trump supporters, as well as individuals of white and Jewish descent. The complaint provides screenshots to support the allegations against Novoa.
As a result of these threatening communications, Novoa has been charged with making unlawful interstate threats, particularly those involving intent to assault or murder federal law enforcement officers.
Among the more egregious statements attributed to Novoa is one from May 2025, where he allegedly boasted about having a weapon ready to use against those he derogatorily described. Additionally, in January of the same year, he reportedly called for steadfast resistance, as detailed in the complaint.
“I have a m4 carbine ready to use on these r—ed filthy subhuman rats,” Novoa allegedly said in May 2025. “May the resistance stand tall,” he said in January 2025, according to the complaint.
The Department of Homeland Security received information in December 2025 regarding Novoa’s threats and launched an investigation. Federal agents executed a search warrant at his residence that month and seized multiple firearms from a weapons cache he allegedly had in his home. Novoa was caught with two rifles, two shotguns and one handgun, ammunition, helmets and body armor, per the complaint.
“Threatening to kill a federal officer is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison,” DOJ officials said in a press release on Thursday. “Making threatening interstate communications carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.”
Novoa is being held in Franklin County without bond.
