An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer seen in a viral video shoving an immigrant woman to the ground inside a New York City immigration court on Thursday has been relieved of his duties.
In a statement to Scripps News, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the officer’s conduct “unacceptable” and “beneath the men and women of ICE.”
“Our ICE law enforcement officers are held to the highest professional standards, and this officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation,” McLaughlin said.
RELATED STORY | Immigrant families 'shattered' after New York worksite ICE raids
According to The New York Times, the woman's husband was arrested after showing up at the courthouse for an asylum hearing.
ICE has come under fire in New York for its enforcement strategy. A lawsuit filed by New York City officials, backed by Mayor Eric Adams, calls on the Trump administration to immediately end ICE arrests at courthouses.
In response to the city's lawsuit, the Department of Homeland Security defended courthouse arrests.
"Nothing in the Constitution prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them," McLaughlin told Scripps News in August. "The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense."
