An Immigration and Customs officer working at the New York immigration courts has been placed on administrative leave after video circulated online showed him pushing a woman toward a wall and to the ground, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The man appears to be the same officer involved in an arrest of a court observer last month, which was witnessed by NPR and caught on audio.
"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."
Video: Watch a federal agent pushing the wife of a detained man to the ground at the Jacob K. Javits building at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City:
There have been growing tensions between federal law enforcement and the public in immigration courts as federal agents are tasked with making more arrests. Over the last five months, ICE has increased its footprint inside immigration courthouses, which are operated by the Justice Department. The agents' presence and arrests in courthouses, particularly in New York, have resulted in conflicting mandates and instances of explosive anger, as NPR previously reported.
In August, as NPR and a court observer — an immigrant advocate — entered the hall, federal enforcement brushed past. The agent, who was unmasked and had been sitting in the waiting area earlier, yelled at NPR: "stop f****** following me! Why are you f****** following me?" before turning and yelling the same thing at the court observer.
"It's not f****** about you!" she retorted.
As they turned the corner, more shouting could be heard.
"Don't f****** touch me," the court observer yelled. "Why are you pushing me? Why are you shoving me? I am not following you!"
She was then taken into an enclosed elevator bay.
At the time, DHS told NPR that the court observer had interrupted the agents. She was transferred 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, caught on several cell phones and cameras, shows a woman crying apparently after the arrest of her husband.
The agent was captured yelling "adios" (or goodbye) several times before shoving the woman toward the wall and onto the floor before the crowd.
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