Two plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents left a man partially handcuffed on the bottom Monday after they tried to arrest him at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and onlookers confronted them, in accordance to police and federal officers.
A video of the incident obtained by NCS shows a man in a mild blue polo shirt yelling as he’s being held to the bottom by the agents. His shoe had fallen off, and his baggage was pushed over to the facet.
The agents – a lady with a white crossbody bag, sporting a hooded sweatshirt and a face masks, and a man in khaki pants, hooded sweatshirt and backpack – seem to handcuff him, video shows.
During the encounter, onlookers stopped and might be heard on video questioning the ICE agents. As extra vacationers stopped, a uniformed Transportation Security Administration officer stood in entrance of the agents and the man, creating a makeshift perimeter, video shows.
“Back up, it’s law enforcement,” a TSA officer might be heard saying. “Everyone back up.”
Shortly after, the ICE agents walked away, leaving the man and saying nothing to the TSA officer attempting to management the gang or the onlookers. Some of the vacationers briefly adopted the agents, asking who they had been. In a separate video, others had been heard shouting at the TSA agent, questioning whether or not one thing could be accomplished in regards to the incident.
NCS has reached out to the TSA for remark.
It’s unclear what occurred instantly earlier than or after the video was filmed.
Las Vegas police stated ICE agents tried to detain the man however walked away from the arrest. Police officers eliminated {the handcuffs} from the man’s wrist and notified ICE after a data verify discovered no excellent warrants on him, the company stated in a assertion.
The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents stopped the arrest to “de-escalate the situation and for officer safety” after a “crowd of anti-ICE agitators surrounded officers.”
The man, Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old citizen of Australia who was born in Vietnam, was taken into custody the next day at Los Angeles International Airport, in accordance to the Department of Homeland Security. The company stated Nguyen had a visa efficient for 2 years however it expired in 2015.
“Nguyen refused to depart in violation of our nation’s laws. He will receive full due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings,” DHS stated in a assertion.
He is being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, in accordance to company data. NCS is working to decide whether or not he has authorized illustration.
A passenger who was ready to board a flight at the Las Vegas airport noticed the incident unfold and later spoke to Nguyen as they each traveled to Los Angeles.
“I thought that he was going to leave on the stretcher because it looked like he had pretty significant injuries, but he didn’t leave on a stretcher,” Julian Vasquez Heilig informed NCS.
The pair exchanged phrases within the exit row, the place Vasquez Heilig was seated, as Nguyen headed to his seat.
“He said he thought he was going to be OK, but my worry was that when he got off the plane, that ICE would grab him up,” Vasquez Heilig stated.
Police encounter a partially handcuffed man at the Las Vegas airport after ICE tried to arrest him
When he recalled the incident, Vasquez Heilig stated a group of Black ladies had been among the many first to step in and assist Nguyen, asking for the ICE agents in plain garments to determine themselves.
“If you’re a human and you see something like that happen and you’re a person of courage, you run towards the danger,” he stated, including it’s what occurred within the terminal Monday.
The incident unfolded amid heightened criticism of immigration enforcement operations as a number of fatal encounters with agents this yr have raised questions on who’s being focused. President Donald Trump has stated the nationwide federal immigration enforcement push goals to take away harmful criminals from the nation.
When requested in regards to the tried arrest of Nguyen, the Clark County Department of Aviation, which owns the Las Vegas airport, stated it acknowledges “that incidents such as this may raise questions and concerns among the traveling public.”
“We work closely with our federal law enforcement partners to support the safe and secure operation of the airport,” the division stated in a assertion.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat representing Nevada, criticized the ICE agents’ actions on X and demanded solutions in regards to the incident.
“Plain clothes. No uniforms. No body cameras. No identification,” Rosen wrote. “ICE is continuing to act with impunity — instilling fear in our communities and scaring tourists, which hurts our tourism economy.”