A Columbus man faces federal charges after social media posts allegedly threatened federal immigration agents, federal agents executed a search warrant at his home, and authorities seized multiple firearms and protective gear.
Federal prosecutors have charged Justin Mesael Novoa, 21, in connection with alleged threats aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees that surfaced online. The case moved quickly to a federal level because the posts targeted federal law enforcement officers and crossed state lines.
Novoa is accused of making threatening interstate communications and of threatening to assault or murder a federal law enforcement officer. Those specific allegations triggered a federal response and formal criminal charges under statutes that protect federal personnel.
Court documents say Homeland Security received a tip in December 2025 about threats directed at ICE staff on the social media platform X. Investigators traced the activity back to posts they say Novoa made in both June and November of 2025, establishing a pattern investigators found alarming.
Among the messages investigators pointed to was the June 2025 post: “they should blast every ice agent they find.” The documents also quote a November 2025 post alleged to be from Novoa that reads: “can’t wait to shoot these p***y ice agents and r******d maga maggots.” Those exact lines figure prominently in the charging documents.
In December 2025 federal agents executed a search warrant at Novoa’s residence and seized multiple firearms and ammunition. Officials reported recovering two rifles, two shotguns and one handgun, along with assorted ammunition, and they also found two helmets and body armor in the home.
Threatening to kill a federal officer is a serious federal crime that carries a maximum term of up to 10 years in prison. Making threatening interstate communications is punishable by up to five years in prison, and federal prosecutors rarely treat explicit threats lightly.
These charges show how words on social platforms can force law enforcement to act when they pose a credible danger to officers and the public. From a law and order perspective, threats against federal agents must be met with swift investigation and, when supported by evidence, prosecution.
The platform where the posts appeared has become a recurring locus in similar investigations, and this case underscores the challenges of policing violent rhetoric online. When threats are specific and tied to the possession of weapons, the matter shifts from speech to public safety and criminal exposure.
Federal searches and seizures are governed by court-approved warrants, and authorities say the evidence seized at the home will be central to the prosecution. The combination of explicit online threats and a cache of firearms and tactical gear is the kind of fact pattern that departments charged with protecting federal officers treat seriously.
For communities and for the officers who enforce immigration and other federal laws, keeping lines of communication open with investigators is critical to prevention. The FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies will continue to monitor credible threats and move to disrupt any plots or preparations they uncover.
The matter now heads into the federal court system where prosecutors will decide on the best path forward based on the evidence. As the case proceeds, it will serve as a reminder that violent threats aimed at public servants can produce federal charges and significant prison exposure.
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