A guy showed up to a federal building in Lower Manhattan with fireworks, pellet guns, knives, axes, a machete, flammable liquid, and a manifesto, and somehow this needs a street interview to confirm that people think it was bad. Welcome to 2026, folks.
As Trending Politics reported, the July 20 attack outside 26 Federal Plaza, which houses ICE offices, an immigration court, and other federal agencies, is still generating debate a full week later. Turning Point USA's Frontlines program sent interviewer Bo Alford onto the streets of New York City to ask everyday people what they thought about someone literally setting fire to a government building entrance. Spoiler alert: they were against it.
Nearly every single person Alford spoke with condemned the violence, which honestly feels like it should go without saying. One gentleman watched the footage and delivered the groundbreaking analysis that "violence is not good." Another offered the philosophical gem that "violence only breeds more violence." Look, these are objectively correct statements, but the fact that we need confirmation from random pedestrians that arson targeting federal buildings is frowned upon really tells you where we are as a country.
Some interviewees acknowledged that feelings about immigration policy are running extremely hot right now but pointed out that torching government property tends to hurt your cause more than help it. One person put it perfectly: "You just make it look bad on your part." Another resident seemed genuinely baffled, noting that no matter how much you disagree with an administration, setting a federal building ablaze is, and I quote, "crazy." Hard to argue with that logic.
The suspect, identified as former U.S. Army soldier Andrew Arrabaca, allegedly showed up carrying anti-ICE materials and what investigators described as an arsenal that looked like he raided a medieval weapons shop and a fireworks stand on the same afternoon. He reportedly poured flammable liquid across the building entrance and lit it up, sending flames and thick black smoke billowing into the air. Federal Protective Service officers tackled him and took him into custody before things got worse.
Several people sustained minor injuries during the chaos, including an officer who got hurt while subduing Arrabaca and at least one bystander who caught a firework. Officials said quick action from security personnel prevented a far more serious outcome.
Investigators recovered a sign reading "ICE Off Our Streets" from the scene, which they believe reflects the alleged motivation. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is now running the investigation and has characterized the whole thing as an apparent anti-government attack on a federal facility.
Alford wrapped up his interviews by noting that "it doesn't take a rocket scientist to condemn arson." And yet here we are, conducting field research to verify that conclusion. Several of those interviewed also expressed worry about the country's increasingly polarized atmosphere, with one encouraging people to maintain "an open mind" and actually listen to opposing viewpoints instead of, you know, bringing a machete to a political disagreement.
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