Senior Trump administration officials defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by federal immigration enforcement officers, citing a sharp increase in assaults and violent threats against agents amid the administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown.  

White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by the Department of Homeland Security.

«I don’t like the masks, either,» Homan said in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ «Face the Nation.» Still, he said, «these men and women have to protect themselves.»

His remarks come as Democrats in Congress have sharply criticized ICE agents’ actions in recent months, including the deployment of officers to major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — as part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement effort. 

MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP’S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans earlier this month to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many «guardrails» needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown. 

Jeffries last week told reporters in the Capitol that unmasking federal agents is a «hard red line» for Democrats as Congress debated funding for DHS and ultimately failed to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported. 

The Trump administration has cited concerns about the number and severity of threats against ICE officers and has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals who target agents or solicit violence.

Homan pointed to DHS reports from January citing a 1,500% increase in assaults against ICE personnel. Violent threats against ICE officers have also soared by a staggering 8,000%, according to data shared by the Department of Homeland Security in October.

The release from DHS ticked through a number of violent threats that have been made against ICE personnel and their family members, including a voicemail left for the spouse of a Texas-based immigration officer.

«I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night … I hope your kids get deported by accident,» the voicemail said. «How do you sleep? …. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.»

MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES

Protesters chant and bang on trash cans as they stand behind a makeshift barricade during a protest in response to the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis.  (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

«From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families,» DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time.

DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the time frames it used to measure the 1,500% and 8,000% increases in assaults and threats, respectively. 

The Justice Department has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals found to be targeting immigration officers or soliciting violent behavior.

Federal prosecutors in October announced the arrest of Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant living in Dallas, for allegedly posting TikTok videos soliciting individuals to «murder ICE agents,» according to a copy of the federal criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

Aguilar also allegedly offered a reward of $10,000 «for each ICE agent,» according to information shared by the Justice Department. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. 

GOP SEN. CASSIDY BREAKS WITH TRUMP OVER DEADLY SHOOTING BY BORDER PATROL AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump at the White House. (Getty Images)

Months earlier, Alan W. Filion, a California teenager, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for allegedly placing 375 «swatting,» hoaxing, or doxxing calls that involved ICE and other federal officers.

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Fillon’s «serial doxxing» campaign involved falsely reported bomb threats or imminent mass shootings at public schools and religious institutions across the country, according to the Justice Department — prompting an emergency response from myriad federal agencies and first responders, and diverting their ability to respond to real crises. 

The Justice Department has cited Fillon’s case as a benchmark of sorts for how it will prosecute other individuals found to be weaponizing law enforcement response systems. 

The remarks come as Democrats continued to assail ICE as the DHS funding shutdown drags on. Schumer blasted ICE on CNN’s «State of the Union» Sunday as «rogue» forces that appear almost «trained to be nasty and mean and cruel, and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do.»

«They need to be reined in, and they need to stop the violence,» Schumer added.

El Arco de los Enamorados de Torre Sant’Andrea, uno de los símbolos más reconocidos de la región de Apulia en el sur de Italia, colapsó completamente durante la noche del 14 de febrero, coincidiendo con el Día de San Valentín.

El desplome de esta icónica formación de roca caliza en la costa adriática fue provocado por una combinación de violentas tormentas, marejadas ciclónicas y lluvias torrenciales que azotaron la zona en los días previos, según informaron las autoridades locales y medios como The Guardian y EFE.

La desaparición de este emblemático enclave ha causado profunda conmoción tanto en la comunidad local como entre los numerosos visitantes y turistas para quienes el arco representaba un popular destino romántico.

La estructura, formada por la acción erosiva del viento y el mar durante siglos, era un puente de roca blanca que unía dos columnas frente a la playa principal de Torre Sant’Andrea en Melendugno.

Según Daily Mail, caminantes matutinos advirtieron la desaparición total del “arco del amor” en la mañana del domingo, tras días de lluvias persistentes y vientos fuertes, sin que se registraran víctimas.

Para la región y el Salento, el Arco de los Enamorados no solo era una referencia natural, sino también cultural y turística. El alcalde de Melendugno, Maurizio Cisternino, lamentó la pérdida afirmando: “Ha desaparecido uno de los atractivos turísticos más famosos de nuestro litoral y de toda Italia”.

Por años, el lugar sirvió de escenario para propuestas de matrimonio, fotografías de parejas y campañas publicitarias, convirtiéndose en un icono del turismo italiano. El concejal de Turismo, Francesco Stella, definió el suceso como “un funeral”, en palabras citadas por The Guardian.

El colapso fue consecuencia directa de la erosión costera prolongada y de la intensificación de fenómenos meteorológicos extremos en el Mediterráneo, según expertos y autoridades.

Christian Mulder, profesor de ecología y emergencia climática consultado por The Guardian, explicó que “los mares más cálidos están sobrecargando la atmósfera y alimentando fenómenos extremos”.

La recurrencia de ciclones mediterráneos, los denominados medicanes, como el ciclón Harry ocurrido en enero, aceleró el deterioro de las costas y la destrucción de infraestructuras en el sur de Italia. Cisternino destacó a The Guardian la necesidad de encontrar recursos para una intervención orgánica que preserve el entorno costero.

Al mismo tiempo indicó a EFE que el plan de defensa elaborado por el municipio “nunca recibió financiación debido al agotamiento de los fondos”. Tras el incidente, la demanda de mayor apoyo estatal y fondos europeos se ha reiterado, con el deseo de que “esta enésima señal enviada por la naturaleza no caiga en el vacío”.

La leyenda local vinculaba el arco con la promesa de amor eterno. Se decía que las parejas que se besaban bajo el arco recibían un amor que duraba para siempre, según destacaron The Sun y Daily Mail. Durante décadas, este mito atrajo a miles de enamorados, reforzando el papel del enclave como un punto de referencia del turismo romántico nacional e internacional.

El episodio se enmarca en el contexto de la emergencia climática que experimenta Italia y el aumento de desastres naturales asociados a un clima más imprevisible. En enero, el ciclón Harry generó olas de hasta nueve metros y vientos de 119 km/h, lo que causó inundaciones, carreteras anegadas y evacuaciones en Sicilia, Calabria y Cerdeña, según detalló The Sun.

En el mismo fin de semana del colapso del Arco de los Enamorados, la región de Apulia y otras zonas del sur permanecían bajo alertas meteorológicas, con cientos de intervenciones de emergencia reportadas.

Servicios de bomberos y rescate evacuaron a familias enteras en Cerdeña y Roma ante los desbordamientos de ríos e inundaciones, mientras las autoridades advirtieron que pueden producirse más daños por la persistencia de lluvias y viento. Los expertos coincidieron en que el aumento de la temperatura del mar está agravando la situación y haciendo más habituales y destructivos los ciclones mediterráneos.

La desaparición del arco deja una huella profunda en el litoral adriático, despojando a la zona de una de sus imágenes más reconocibles dentro y fuera de Italia.

The man accused of carrying out a Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney, Australia, was seen publicly for the first time Monday, appearing by video link from Goulburn Supermax prison during a hearing at Downing Center Local Court.

7NewsAustralia reported that Naveed Akram, 24, spoke only briefly during the less than 10-minute hearing as a suppression order protecting the names of some victims was extended.

«Did you hear what just occurred?» Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund asked. «Yep,» Akram replied.

«Your solicitor will call you, OK?» Freund said.

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«Yeah,» responded the shooting suspect.

Akram has been charged with one count of committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and additional firearms and explosives offenses, according to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions website. 

The most serious charges carry potential life imprisonment.

ISRAELI DIASPORA MINISTER SAYS AUSTRALIA SHOULD HAVE SEEN ‘WRITING ON THE WALL’ BEFORE TERROR ATTACK

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 10-year-old Matilda and French national Dan Elkayam were victims of the Bondi Beach attack.  (Audrey Richardson/Getty Images/Facebook/Eli Schlanger/GoFundMe/Project Volta)

Akram’s lawyer, Ben Archbold, told reporters it was too early to indicate how his client would plead, according to 7NewsAustralia.

«There’s a client that needs to be represented. And we don’t let our personal view get in the way of our professional application,» Archbold said.

His next court appearance is scheduled for April 8.

Police teams take security measures at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, after a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community during the first night of Hanukkah. ( Claudio Galdames A/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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The 24-year-old is accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest terror attack targeting a Jewish «Hanukkah by the Sea» celebration at Bondi Beach in December. 

His father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed in a gun battle with police at the scene.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the Bondi attack as an «ISIS-inspired atrocity,» saying at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra late last year that the government had been informed by the Office of National Intelligence of an ISIS online video feed reinforcing that assessment.