The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has placed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on leave after a video surfaced showing him shoving a woman to the ground inside a New York immigration court.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the disciplinary action, emphasizing that the officer’s behavior was “unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE.” She added that all ICE personnel are held to the “highest professional standards” and that a full investigation is underway.
The incident, captured from multiple angles and widely circulated on social media, shows a visibly distraught woman approaching the officer. The officer is heard repeating “adios” before grabbing her, shoving her into a wall, and pushing her to the floor. He then stood over her, demanding she “leave” in Spanish, and directed other officers to escort her out of the building.
The confrontation reportedly occurred after federal agents attempted to detain the woman’s husband during a court hearing, while she and her daughter clung to him. The woman, who later identified herself as being from Ecuador, was seen escorted out of the courthouse in a separate video.
Representative Dan Goldman, who represents the district where the courthouse is located, said the woman and her children sought refuge in his office following the incident. He urged DHS to take disciplinary action and establish safeguards to prevent similar episodes in the future.
The event comes amid heightened scrutiny of ICE practices under policies that allow officers to make arrests inside courthouses, a tactic critics say intimidates immigrant families seeking due process.
