- “Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards and this officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation.” – DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin
By Vanguard Staff
NEW YORK — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been placed on administrative leave after video surfaced showing him shoving a woman to the ground at the Jacob K. Javits building in New York City, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The incident occurred Sept. 25 during the arrest of the woman’s husband, a man from Ecuador. The officer was recorded yelling “adios” multiple times before shoving the crying woman against a wall and onto the floor in front of a crowd.
“The officer’s conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. “Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards and this officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation.”
The officer appears to be the same individual involved in the arrest of a court observer last month, an encounter witnessed by NPR and captured on audio. That incident unfolded when NPR and an immigrant advocate entered the courthouse hallway. The unmasked officer, who had been sitting in a waiting area, shouted profanities and accused them of following him. The exchange escalated, with the court observer yelling, “Don’t f****** touch me. Why are you pushing me? Why are you shoving me? I am not following you!” before she was taken into an elevator bay.
At the time, DHS said the court observer had interrupted the agents. She was turned over to Federal Protective Service custody and issued two citations: trespassing in a secure area and failing to follow lawful commands from an officer.
The latest incident adds to rising tensions over the increased presence of federal enforcement officers in immigration courthouses, which are operated by the Justice Department. Over the past five months, ICE has ramped up arrests inside courthouses, particularly in New York. Advocates and observers have pointed to the clashes and confrontations as evidence of conflicting mandates and growing hostility between federal agents and the public.
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