The Trump Department of Homeland Security is clapping back at New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she pledged to help members of the public track U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers through an online portal.

After Sherrill, a U.S. Navy veteran, recently announced, “We are going to be standing up a portal, so people can upload all their cell videos and alert people,” adding, “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out, we want to know.”

In response, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “This certainly looks like obstruction of justice.”

“This action by the Governor encourages violence against our officers and obstruction of our operations,” the spokesperson went on, pointing out that “our officers are already facing a highly coordinated campaign of violence against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them.”

DEM GOVERNOR DUCKS QUESTION ON ‘MONSTER’ ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO FRACTURED 8-YEAR-OLD’S SKULL WITH ROCK ATTACK

The spokesperson suggested that Sherrill’s policies are the real danger to New Jerseyans, not ICE agents.

“ICE law enforcement would not have to be in the field in New Jersey if we had state and local cooperation. Governor Sherrill is not letting that happen, which puts New Jerseyans in danger,” the spokesperson said.

DHS pointed to just a few of ICE’s recent arrests in New Jersey, which they said include pedophiles, rapists and murderers.

“While Governor Sherrill continues to encourage agitators to obstruct law enforcement and release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto New Jersey’s streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest heinous criminals in New Jersey,” said the spokesperson.

DHS said that it recently arrested a Mexican criminal illegal alien named Jose Ortega Villalva, who it said is convicted of sex offense against a child, fondling and molestation of a minor.

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Another illegal arrested in New Jersey is Ecuadoran national Rodrigo Roman Basantes, who the agency said is convicted of endangering the welfare of a child through sexual contact and sexual assault of a victim under 13.

A third, Felix Quintana Diaz, from Cuba, was also recently arrested by ICE in New Jersey and is convicted of homicide.

Wilmer Patzan Pirir, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested and has been convicted of making a terroristic threat.

The agency also said ICE had arrested Manuel Mejia Morales, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, who is convicted of rape and assault.

In response, a spokesperson for the governor told Fox News Digital that “keeping New Jerseyans safe is Governor Sherrill’s top priority,” and that Sherrill and Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport “will announce additional actions to protect New Jerseyans from federal overreach” in the coming days.

Sherrill cited the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in confrontations with ICE agents in Minneapolis. She accused agents of shooting Pretti “execution style,” which she called “unacceptable.”

“They have not been forthcoming,” the governor said of ICE. “They will pick people up. They will not tell us who they are. They will not tell us if they’re here legally. They won’t check. They’ll pick up American citizens.”

Regarding the planned portal, Sherrill said, “We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get it.”  

These comments also drew criticism from the White House, which backed ICE and federal immigration officers in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, remarked, “If Sherill was as committed to tracking down criminal illegal aliens as she was ICE officers, New Jersey residents would be much safer.”

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Jackson told Fox News Digital, “ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults because of dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats.”

“Just the other day, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter,” she continued. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities, and local officials should work with them, not against them.”

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

BOSTON — More than a decade before he became the country’s first president, George Washington was leading a critical campaign in the early days of the American Revolution. The Siege of Boston was his first campaign as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and, in many ways, set the stage for his military and political successes — celebrated on Presidents Day.

Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, militias had pinned down the British in Boston in April 1775. The Continental Congress, recognizing the need for a more organized military effort, selected Washington to lead the newly-formed army.

What was the Siege of Boston

On this day 250 years ago, Washington would have been nearing the end of an almost yearlong siege that bottled up as many as 11,000 British troops and hundreds more loyalists. The British were occupying Boston at the time, and the goal of the siege was to force them out.

A critical decision made by Washington was sending Henry Knox, a young book seller, to Fort Ticonderoga in New York to retrieve dozens of cannons. The cannons, transported hundreds of miles in the dead of winter, were eventually used to fire on British positions. That contributed to the decision by the British, facing dwindling supplies, to abandon the city by boat on March 17, 1776.

Historians argue the British abandoning their position, celebrated in Boston as Evacuation Day, rid the city of loyalists at a critical time, denied the British access to an important port and gave patriots a huge morale boost.

“The success of the Siege of Boston gave new life and momentum to the Revolution,” Chris Beagan, the site manager at Longfellow House in Cambridge, a National Historic Site that served as Washington’s headquarters during the American Revolution. “Had it failed, royal control of New England would have continued, and the Continental Army likely would have dissolved.”

How the siege shaped Washington

The siege was also a critical test for Washington. A surveyor and farmer, Washington had been out of the military for nearly 20 years after commanding troops for the British during the French and Indian War. His successful campaign ensured Washington remained the commander-in-chief for the remainder of the revolution.

Doug Bradburn, president of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, said Washington took the first steps to creating a geographically diverse army that included militiamen from Massachusetts to Virginia and, by the end of the war, a fighting force with significant Black and Native American representation. It was the most integrated military until President Harry S. Truman’s desegregated the armed forces in 1948, he said.

Washington, a slave owner most of life who depended on hundreds of slaves on his Mount Vernon estate, was initially opposed to admitting formerly enslaved and free Black soldiers into the army. But short of men, Washington came to realize “there are free Blacks who want to enlist and he needs them to keep the British from breaking out” during the siege, Bradburn said.

Ridding Boston of the British also turned Washington into one of the country’s most popular political figures.

“He comes to embody the cause in a time before you have a nation, before you have a Declaration of Independence, before you’re really sure what is the goal of this struggle,” Bradburn said. “He becomes the face of the revolutionary movement.”

Commanding the military more than eight years also prepared Washington for the presidency, Pulitzer Prize-winning military historian Rick Atkinson said. “Perhaps most important, it gave him a sense that Americans could and should be a single people, rather than denizens of thirteen different entities.”

Myths of Washington

His rise to prominence also led to plenty of myths about Washington, many which persist to this day.

One of the most popular is the cherry tree myth. It was invented by one of Washington’s first biographers, according to George Washington’s Mount Vernon, who created the story after his death. Supposedly, a 6-year-old Washington took an ax to a cherry tree and admitted as much when caught by his father, famously saying “I cannot tell a lie … I did cut it with my hatchet.”

The second one is the wooden teeth myth. It was rumored that Washington had wooden dentures and scholars, well into the 20th century, were quoted as saying his false teeth were made from wood. Not true. He never wore wooden dentures, instead using those with ivory, gold and even human teeth.

More than a statesman

During his lifetime, Washington had a myriad of pursuits. He was known as an innovative farmer, according to the George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and an advocate for Western expansion, buying up to 50,000 acres of land in several Mid-Atlantic states. After returning to Mount Vernon, he built a whiskey distillery that became one of the largest in the country.

His connection to slavery was complicated. He advocated for ending slavery, and his will called for freeing all the slaves he owned after the death of his wife, Martha Washington. But he didn’t own all the slaves at Mount Vernon so he could’t legally free all of them.

Celebrating Presidents Day

For fans of George Washington, Presidents Day is their Super Bowl. Originated to celebrate Washington’s birthday, which falls on Feb. 22, the holiday has become associated with good deals at the mall. Still, there are plenty of places celebrating all things Washington on this day.

There will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon, and there will be a Continental Army encampment. There will be a parade honoring Washington in Alexandria, Virginia, and, in Laredo, Texas, a monthlong celebration features a carnival, pageants, an air show and jalapeno festival.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were in trade rumors all summer long, but the front office elected to hold onto multiple veteran players. Pittsburgh has wanted to get younger across the roster, but with so many older players on the team, this has been a little difficult.

*PREDICTION*

One player who was subject to rumors this year has been veteran Rickard Rakell, who is coming off a career year with Pittsburgh. Rakell scored 35 goals and had 35 assists for Pittsburgh last season, playing in 81 games during the regular season.

The veteran has dealt with some injuries this year that have limited his time on the ice so far. The Penguins have held a high asking price for the veteran, but moving him could net them some strong assets for the future.

Rakell still has three years left on his current contract, and he is scheduled to make $5 million each season. This could impact some potential deals, with opposing teams likely wanting the Penguins to eat some of the salary.

It remains to be seen if the Penguins’ front office will end up trading Rakell, but he could be a strong candidate. Multiple teams have inquired about him, and the Penguins will be a team to watch closely as the trade deadline approaches next month.

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Penguins Move Rickard Rakell to Ottawa

As the Penguins assess the future of multiple guys on the roster, Rakell does seem like he could be on the move ahead of the NHL trade deadline. One team that could look to pull the trigger on a deal to land him is the Ottawa Senators, who could use a boost offensively for the season.

Ottawa made the postseason last season in what was a major surprise around the NHL, and now the team wants to build upon that notion. The Senators have gotten off to a slow start this year themselves, but adding a talent like Rakell could really push this team forward in the Eastern Conference.

We see teams make moves like this all the time, and then they go on a run in the second half of the season to reach the playoffs. Rakell could be a solid addition to the Senators, and he could be the missing piece for them to make a playoff run.

While Rakell won’t fix all the issues that the Senators have on the roster, he could at least fill some of the holes that they have seen this year. Rakell has proven that his contract is more than worth it, and this could be a move to help Ottawa both for this season and in the future.

Ottawa’s front office has been active in recent years, and Rakell could be a solid move for them to consider. The two sides could link up for a deal to get done once the NHL freeze lifts, and the Senators could net one of the bigger names who could be moved this year.

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