Lovesick Trump supporter Tristen Elijah Giroux threatens to murder ICE agents over visa snag for Colombian fiancée

A lovesick MAGA fan in Central Florida is facing federal charges after he allegedly threatened to torch the White House and assassinate ICE agents after he was unable to get a live person on the phone at a government immigration office.

Tristen Elijah Giroux, 30, had been calling U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to complain about how long it was taking to process a visa for his Colombian fiancée but found himself stuck in a phone tree, according to a recently unsealed criminal complaint reviewed by The Independent.

As Giroux tried and failed last week to make himself understood to the “interactive voice recognition system” at USCIS, his frustration boiled over, says an FBI probable cause affidavit attached to the complaint. When his demands to speak to a customer service representative went nowhere, Giroux first lashed out at the virtual operator as a “dumb c**t b***h,” then lost patience altogether, the affidavit states.

“I’m gonna burn down the White House.” Giroux said on the recorded line, according to the affidavit. “I’m gonna go choke out every ICE member I see. Kill them all.”

When the FBI arrested Giroux at home the next day, he assured them that he was a Trump supporter and claimed he was “disgusted” by the ICE protests he had seen on TikTok, the affidavit contends. Meanwhile, it says Giroux told officers that navigating the byzantine process to bring his fiancée into the U.S. legally has been “so difficult.”

Immigrating to the U.S. legally is “nearly impossible,” according to the libertarian Cato Institute, which says fewer than 1 percent of people who wish to do so are able. Others have called the pathway to legal U.S. residency, not to mention full citizenship, as “exceptionally difficult,” and “all but impossible.” At the same time, the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement to never-before-seen levels, prompting widespread backlash against White House policy as well as the agents tasked with carrying it out.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Giroux told The Independent that he was not at liberty to discuss the situation publicly, on the advice of his lawyer. The court-appointed attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Giroux’s social media footprint appears to confirm his ongoing relationship with a woman in Bogotá. In a 2024 Facebook post, Giroux called her “the love of my life,” emphasizing his feelings with a red heart emoji. When she replied, in Spanish, that she loved Giroux too, he responded, “I love you very much my queen .”

The phone number that the affidavit links to Giroux, a Jacksonville, Florida, resident who has worked as a life insurance salesman, is also listed in classified ads for a BMW repair service run by Giroux.

“Why Hit Me Up? I know BMWs inside and out,” the ad tells prospective customers. “I use only quality parts, no shortcuts. My rates are fair, and the work speaks for itself. I’m here to make sure you and your car are happy. Shoot me a message or give me a call to book your spot!”

The affidavit says Giroux’s only past run-ins with the law were misdemeanor convictions for driving with a suspended license and “a battery and noise disturbance.”

The case against Giroux began on October 24, with an electronic tip the Department of Homeland Security forwarded to the FBI National Threat Operations Center, according to the probable cause affidavit.

That afternoon, amid an ongoing U.S government shutdown, Giroux had called USCIS from his mobile phone and became enraged after becoming stuck in a phone tree. The call was recorded, capturing Giroux lashing out at the computerized voice on the other end, the affidavit goes on.

“During the recording at issue, which was approximately seven minutes long, Giroux attempted to navigate the IVR to get to a live person with whom he could discuss the issue he was having with an immigration form,” it states.

At one point, Giroux instructed the automated system, “Transfer me to a customer service representative. Stupid b***h,” according to the affidavit. He then told the system to “Transfer me to a representative, dumb c**t b***h,’” the affidavit maintains. Once things really got tense, the affidavit alleges Giroux vowed to set the White House ablaze and “choke out” every ICE agent he encountered.

The FBI identified the number Giroux was calling from and immediately subpoenaed T-Mobile for subscriber information and location pings of the phone’s location. T-Mobile provided the feds with Giroux’s personal info and the pings led agents to his front door, according to the affidavit.

The following afternoon, a team of FBI agents and deputies from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office showed up at Giroux’s apartment. The affidavit says an agent introduced herself to Giroux and asked him to step outside, which he did, after which she told Giroux why they were there.

“He explained that he called USCIS to try to resolve an issue he was having with his upcoming marriage between him and his paramour, a Colombian national, for whom Giroux was seeking a K1 visa,” the affidavit states. “Giroux had sent in the documents regarding their intended marriage, but USCIS had sent them back without explanation. Giroux explained to me that he was running out of time to get the paperwork squared away and was extremely frustrated that he was unable to get a hold of an actual representative and kept getting routed to the automated system.”

Giroux confessed to making the threats against ICE agents and the White House “after calling USCIS multiple times,” according to the affidavit. It says Giroux claimed he had made the comments “in order to try and get someone’s attention and to see if anyone was actually listening to what he was saying.”

“Giroux advised that he did eventually speak with a representative, who was helpful, and he was able to get the situation straightened out,” the affidavit states.

It says Giroux insisted that he “had no intention of harming anyone,” and told agents “how stupid it was that he had said those things and that he regretted it.”

“Giroux said that he is a supporter of President Trump,” the affidavit continues. “Giroux said he has seen the ICE protests on the social media platform TikTok, and that they disgust him because he is supportive of ICE’s efforts. Giroux explained that he is trying to handle the immigration of his paramour in the right way, and it is so difficult, while in the meantime, people are entering the county illegally.”

Giroux said he owned a Glock 19 pistol that he bought and registered in California, where he previously lived, but denied having any other explosives or firearms, according to the affidavit.

He was arrested October 27 on one count of transmitting a threat to kill in interstate commerce. A judge released Giroux the same day on a personal recognizance bond and ordered him to surrender his passport by close of business Wednesday.

If convicted, Giroux faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.