Lovesick Trump Supporter Threatens to Murder ICE Over Visa Delay

(JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA) A 30-year-old Trump supporter from Central Florida was arrested on October 27, 2025 after authorities say he threatened to burn down the White House and murder federal immigration officers in rage over delays in a visa application for his Colombian fiancée. Tristen Elijah Giroux, a life insurance salesman and resident of Jacksonville, faces one count of transmitting a threat to kill in interstate commerce and could serve up to five years in prison if convicted.

According to the case details, Giroux’s anger spiked as he tried and failed to reach a live person through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) phone system to ask about his fiancée’s visa. He allegedly responded with explicit threats that included

“burn down the White House”

and

“choke out every ICE member I see. Kill them all.”

Investigators say those statements were tied to his frustrations with a process he described as “so difficult,” a complaint that echoes years of criticism about the complexity of the U.S. immigration system and the limited access to live assistance for applicants stuck in long queues.

Court records outline a grim combination of explosive rhetoric and simmering personal fears as the visa delay stretched on. Giroux reportedly identified himself as a Trump supporter and told investigators he was disgusted by ICE protests he had watched on TikTok, a detail that underscored the political and social tensions that have surrounded immigration enforcement in recent years. Officials say the threats emerged from a series of attempts to get information through automated menus rather than a human caseworker, a common sticking point for applicants who want answers about the status of petitions and interviews. USCIS routes most inquiries through recorded options and web forms, and applicants seeking live help must navigate its tiered system, a setup the agency defends as necessary to manage volume. The government directs the public to the USCIS Contact Center for information about case status and customer support.

The incident has drawn attention in Florida and beyond because it ties an intensely personal immigration dispute to violent language against federal officers and the White House. The threats named ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which is often a lightning rod in debates about immigration enforcement. Though Giroux is accused of targeting ICE in his remarks, the dispute itself stemmed from the separate question of a visa for his fiancée in Colombia, a process that typically moves through USCIS and the State Department rather than ICE. That split highlights a common confusion among applicants about which agency handles what and why delays happen, especially when people are trying to bring a partner or spouse to the United States for marriage and lawful residence.

Prosecutors say the legal issue is not the visa or the delay itself, but the transmission of threats across state lines. The single count of transmitting a threat to kill in interstate commerce points to the way investigators say the statements moved through communications channels that meet the federal standard for jurisdiction. While the charging document focuses on the alleged criminal conduct, the underlying source of the anger—repeated failures to reach a live representative—features prominently in the narrative describing what spurred the messages. In that account, Giroux reached the USCIS automated system and could not get past it, prompting an outpouring of threats that included the line

“choke out every ICE member I see. Kill them all.”

Giroux’s background, as outlined in the case information, shows misdemeanor convictions for driving with a suspended license as well as a battery and a noise disturbance. Those offenses are minor compared to the felony-level implications of transmitting violent threats, but they paint a fuller picture of a man with prior run-ins at the local level now confronting a serious federal charge. The allegation that he would

“burn down the White House”

moved the case beyond the immigration frustration that triggered his calls, making it a broader security concern that touches on threats against federal property and employees.

In interviews described in the case file, Giroux said the legal immigration process felt “so difficult.” He also conveyed regret over his statements and insisted he had no intention to hurt anyone, according to the account of events. Those assertions are likely to be part of any defense strategy, which could frame the outburst as speech made in extreme frustration rather than a real plan to commit violence. The law, however, treats certain threats—particularly those directed at named targets such as groups of federal officers or iconic government sites—seriously regardless of whether the person insists afterward that they didn’t mean it. Prosecutors frequently argue that explicit language, the context of delivery, and the reasonable perception of danger determine whether a threat crosses the line from protected speech to a chargeable offense.

The case resonates because it touches two recurring points of friction: the slow, often opaque timelines for visa processing and the strong feelings stirred by immigration enforcement. People seeking visas for family members often spend months or years in limbo, checking status portals and calling hotlines as they wait for notices on interviews, biometrics, or final decisions. When the person in question is a fiancée abroad, delays can feel especially acute, separating couples and complicating plans for work, housing, and marriage. Giroux’s choice to vent his fury at ICE, despite ICE having no direct role in adjudicating a fiancée’s visa, shows how frustration can blur the lines between the agencies involved and where applicants direct their anger.

The political reference in this case—the suspect describing himself as a Trump supporter—adds another layer, though officials did not link his political views to the charge itself. The mention arose as part of a broader profile that included his job and minor criminal history, and his stated disgust at ICE protests he watched on TikTok. Immigration policy over the last decade has seen sharp swings in rhetoric and enforcement priorities, and the atmosphere around ICE, in particular, has grown tense. In that environment, threats against federal immigration officers have drawn swift responses, with investigators and prosecutors treating them as both a safety risk and a marker of escalating hostility toward government employees.

Authorities say the turning point in Giroux’s case came when words moved from angry complaints about an automated phone tree to clear threats of violence. Language like

“burn down the White House”

and

“choke out every ICE member I see. Kill them all”

is difficult to interpret as anything but an intent to menace, they argue, especially when directed at employees carrying out their duties. Even as Giroux later expressed regret and said he had no intention of harming anyone, the charge he faces underscores the government’s position that the medium and content of threats matter, and that crossing those lines brings penalties regardless of whether a person later apologizes.

The arrest in Jacksonville is likely to feed ongoing debate about the accessibility of federal agencies to members of the public dealing with urgent personal matters. USCIS has long said it is modernizing systems and using automated tools to handle high call volumes, and it steers people to online case status systems and scheduled callbacks to manage demand. But many applicants still say the inability to speak with a live person makes it harder to solve simple problems or get clarity on delays. For those waiting on a visa tied to major life events, like a wedding, that barrier can feel especially punishing. Giroux’s case puts that frustration in stark relief, even as it crosses a line the law does not tolerate.

The Colombian fiancée at the center of the dispute was not named in the case information shared publicly, and there was no immediate update on the status of her visa. There is also no indication from the case summary that ICE had any interaction with Giroux before the threats, nor that ICE had any role in the fiancé(e) petition he was trying to discuss. That mismatch between the agency he targeted and the one he was trying to reach illustrates a frequent misunderstanding about who handles which parts of the process, and how anger over delays can spill over into threats against officers with no direct connection to the case.

For now, Giroux remains charged with a single count and could face up to five years if a court finds that his words meet the legal standard for a prosecutable threat. His insistence that the process is “so difficult” is not unique, and his regret may factor into the outcome, but the words attributed to him—

“burn down the White House”

and

“choke out every ICE member I see. Kill them all”

—will likely be central to how prosecutors frame the case. With immigration back in the headlines and agencies facing constant pressure from all sides, the arrest in Jacksonville underscores how personal desperation over a visa can tip into criminal jeopardy when rage targets federal institutions and the officers who work for them.