A federal immigration agent who shoved a woman to the hallway floor outside a Manhattan immigration court Thursday has been “relieved of current duties” while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigates the incident, a spokesperson for the agency said Friday.
Viral videos of the incident depict the plainclothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent saying “adios” to the crying woman before grabbing her, pushing her against the wall and then onto the floor, where her crying daughter joined her. Federal officers detained the woman's husband just before the agent shoved her, videos show.
"The officer's conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said 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 incident took place in a hallway outside the immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, a large federal building in Lower Manhattan that’s become the epicenter of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in New York City. Most immigrants detained this year by ICE in the New York City area were arrested there.
Since late spring, ICE and other federal officers have routinely detained immigrants leaving hearings at the site and other immigration courthouses throughout the city and country.
Viral videos show the woman and daughter clinging to her husband as federal officers wrestle with the man. An officer grabs the woman by the hair as several officers pry the woman and man apart, with the child pressed against the wall during the scrum.
The woman later pleads in tears with one ICE officer, who repeatedly responds “adios.” She said “Nothing matters to you guys” in Spanish and put a hand on the officer's chest. The officer is then shown grabbing the woman and quickly pushing her against the wall and then onto the floor.
McLaughlin's statement was a rare rebuke of an ICE officer’s actions by a Trump administration official. Administration officials have repeatedly condemned criticisms of ICE, claiming "anti-ICE rhetoric" has contributed to a rise in assaults against ICE officers.
The footage has sparked outrage from local officials, including Rep. Dan Goldman, who in a social media post called the officer’s action “an egregious act of excessive force.” In a joint statement Goldman and City Comptroller Brad Lander said they referred the matter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, for prosecution. There was no immediate comment from the officials.
The woman was identified by the news outlet ProPublica as Monica Moreta-Galarza, an asylum-seeker from Ecuador. She was sent to the hospital after the incident and later discharged, according to the outlet.
This story has been updated with additional details.
