A former Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer is under fire after allegedly leaking details about a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in northern Virginia—just hours before it was set to take place. The leak, which came from journalist and activist Pablo Manriquez, has sparked outrage, with critics arguing that he endangered law enforcement officers and obstructed justice.
Manriquez, who previously served as the DNC’s director of Latino and Hispanic outreach, took to X on Sunday to broadcast ICE’s plans, writing, “ICE RAIDS are planned for Monday & Tuesday in Northern Virginia, per multiple sources who tell us ICE has obtained between 75 and 100 judicial warrants.” He didn’t stop there—he followed up with additional posts seemingly advising illegal immigrants on how to avoid capture.
🚨ICE RAIDS are planned for Monday & Tuesday in Northern Virginia, per multiple sources who tell us ICE has obtained between 75 and 100 judicial warrants.
— Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) March 2, 2025
“Judicial warrants mean ICE can go into your homes, so plan accordingly,” he wrote in one post. In another, he warned, “Remember that state police have been deputized to help ICE, so highways, etc, are unsafe.”
NOTE: Remember that state police have been deputized to help ICE, so highways, etc, are unsafe.
— Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) March 2, 2025
By Monday morning, his initial post had racked up over 660,000 views, ensuring that news of the raid reached a massive audience—including those ICE agents were specifically targeting.
The leak has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Fox News’ Fox & Friends hosts. Steve Doocy condemned Manriquez for tipping off targets of judicially approved ICE operations, calling it “dangerous for our guys.” His co-host, Lawrence Jones, emphasized that these weren’t just random raids, but court-ordered apprehensions. “Despite that, Manriquez was still okay with tipping them off,” Jones remarked.
Hey @ICEgov, Pablo Manríquez is alerting illegals about ICE raids.
Please have him immediately arrested, jailed, and sent to Gitmo.
What he’s doing is a federal crime and is a threat to all Americans, including the heroic agents of ICE.pic.twitter.com/wsCGgVlQdA
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 3, 2025
Questions are now swirling about whether Manriquez could face legal consequences. While leaking sensitive law enforcement operations is already a serious issue, Doocy pointed out that the real criminal might be whoever inside the government provided him with the information. “It could be someone from the courts, it could be somebody from the federal government,” he said.
The Trump administration has been grappling with persistent leaks about ICE operations, with White House border czar Tom Homan and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently stating that they had traced prior leaks about raids in Colorado and Los Angeles back to their sources. However, they declined to reveal where those leakers were located.
Homan has long suspected that some of these leaks are coming from inside the FBI, which has advance knowledge of ICE raids. Noem didn’t hold back in her response last week, warning, “When they leak information to the press in order to blow an op, they are putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy.”
The Biden-era practice of obstructing ICE appears to be alive and well—but under Trump’s DOJ, those responsible may soon face serious consequences.