Nevada lawmakers demand inquiry into ICE tactics at Harry Reid airport
Video circulated widely on social media Monday showing the elderly man yelling and crying on the ground in Terminal 3 as a man and a masked woman, both in plainclothes, attempted to control him and secure handcuffs, according to a report from the Associated Press. When the pair noticed they were being filmed, they abandoned the effort and left, leaving the man with a handcuff attached to one arm.
Late Monday afternoon, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identified the pair as ICE agents. Officers from LVMPD responded to the disturbance, determined that no outstanding warrants existed for the man, removed the handcuffs, and notified ICE of the situation, the department said.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that ICE officers did not proceed with the arrest at the Las Vegas airport. The next day, Tuesday, ICE arrested Nguyen as his flight departed Los Angeles International Airport, DHS said. Nguyen is a 57-year-old citizen of Australia who overstayed his visa, according to the department.
The incident drew immediate condemnation from Nevada’s senior U.S. senator. “ICE is continuing to act with impunity — instilling fear in our communities and scaring tourists, which hurts our tourism economy,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen said in a statement. “Enough is enough. ICE must follow the same commonsense guardrails as other law enforcement agencies.”
The Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus and the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Caucus issued a joint call for a full investigation into the aborted arrest. The caucuses urged Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to demand transparency and accountability from federal law enforcement agencies operating in Nevada, the AP reported.