Tennessee Man, 68, Charged with Threatening to Kill ICE Agents on Left-Wing Social Media Platform
A Tennessee man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he used the Bluesky social media platform to threaten Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, including language that called for them to be injured and killed.
A grand jury in the Eastern District of Tennessee, meeting in Knoxville, returned the indictment on Sept. 16, following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, according to a Department of Justice news release.
The two-count case charges David Kerr, 68, with making interstate threats — charges that could mean up to a decade in prison.
A Federal Grand Jury in Knoxville returned a two-count indictment against David Kerr of Knoxville for posting public threats on Bluesky to maim and murder ICE agents.
https://t.co/afiBMxr60d— Tennessee Conservative News (@TnCoNews1) September 24, 2026
According to the release, one of Kerr’s Bluesky posts, dated June 4, 2025, declared it is “time to bear spray ICE.”
Another, published Oct. 7, 2025, urged “kill the ICE military police.”
Bluesky has become a gathering place for users who left X and lean heavily left on immigration and law enforcement issues.
Bluesky originated in 2019 as an internal project within the company then known as Twitter before splitting off as an independent company in 2021.
Bluesky claims to emphasize user-controlled moderation, allowing individuals to subscribe to custom safety labels and independent community-run moderation feeds.
However, the company claims it maintains a core safety team responsible for enforcing its terms of service, which strictly prohibit explicit threats of violence, illegal acts, and targeted harassment.
HSI Knoxville special agents arrested David Kerr, 68, on Sept. 21 following a federal indictment alleging he made threats to injure and kill ICE agents.
Press release from @USAO_EDTN: https://t.co/tw3YIclDqy https://t.co/XuzHLAcRie
— HSI Nashville (@HSI_Nashville) September 22, 2026
Kerr pleaded innocent during an appearance Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on Monday, the DOJ release states.
The judge and prosecutors set trial for Nov. 24, 2026. Each count carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition to prison and fines, Kerr faces supervised release of up to three years on each count.
In a Department of Homeland Security news release, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin denounced the behavior Kerr is charged with.
“This man publicly and shamelessly threatened the brave men and women of ICE on social media, calling for them to be injured and killed,” he said.
“Anyone who threatens federal law enforcement will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mullin also called for an end to an atmosphere that fosters threats in the first place.
“This violent rhetoric against our law enforcement must stop,” he said.
“DHS is calling on sanctuary politicians and their mouthpieces in the mainstream media to stop encouraging this hateful language before any more ICE officers are hurt, or worse, in the line of duty.”
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