Hooded immigration officers pin Australian to the ground in dramatic arrest at Las Vegas Airport
A statement from the immigration agency said they abandoned the arrest when ‘a crowd of anti-ICE agitators surrounded officers’.
Dramatic footage has been released of plain-clothed immigration officers handcuffing an Australian man in the US.
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are seen in the footage apprehending 57-year-old Phu Nguyen at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday night.
One officer swiped at a passerby filming the arrest while Nguyen can be heard screaming “I don’t know what they’re doing”.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.That same officer then motioned toward his partner, a female agent, before the pair decided to walk away and leave Nguyen on the ground of the airport with a handcuff on one arm.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the man’s identity in a statement, alleging he had overstayed his visa.
The two agents left without arresting Nguyen “to de-escalate the situation and for officer safety” after a crowd formed, DHS said.
The department said Nguyen entered the United States legally on a visa in May 2013, “with permission to remain in the United States until May 26, 2015.”
ICE Los Angeles later said Nguyen had been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport “despite attempts by agitators to help him evade ICE officers at Las Vegas airport”.
“Nguyen refused to depart in violation of our nation’s laws,” the agency said.
“He will receive full due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings.”
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the attempted arrest was made by ICE agents.
“On July 13, ICE attempted to arrest Phu Nguyen, who is an illegal alien and citizen of Australia and was born in Vietnam, at the Las Vegas Airport,” it read.
“As officers attempted to arrest Nguyen, a crowd of anti-ICE agitators surrounded officers.”
Online records show he is being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. It’s not clear if Nguyen has obtained a lawyer.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed it was “making urgent inquiries following reports of an Australian citizen detained in the United States”.
“The Department stands ready to provide consular assistance to any Australian citizen, should it be requested,” the department said.
ICE tactics slammed
Footage of the arrest spread across social media in the US and drew condemnation from politicians and advocacy groups.
Democratic Senator from Nevada, Jacky Rosen, said she was “demanding answers about what happened”.
“Plain clothes. No uniforms. No body cameras. No identification,” Rosen wrote in a post to social media.
“ICE is continuing to act with impunity — instilling fear in our communities and scaring tourists, which hurts our tourism economy.
“Enough is enough. ICE must follow the same commonsense guardrails as other law enforcement agencies.”
Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said ICE acted recklessly.
“The footage shows ICE officers throwing hoodies on over their head while covering their faces, accosting a harmless and confused man, trying to block community members from capturing the incident on video, and then running away from the scene,” Haseebullah said in a statement to NBC.
“These are the actions of an agency that is lawless, dangerous, and disgraceful, and we cannot allow this kind of behavior in our state.”
Originally published on 7NEWS
