Alleged ICE agents descended on Washington Heights on Wednesday morning, according to video, and apprehended a man for reasons that are not yet known.
While it is not exactly clear what time the heavy-handed arrest unfolded, City Council Member Shaun Abreu said that it took place on West 157th Street and Broadway early on Nov. 12 after federal agents rushed out of a black SUV and grabbed the pedestrian.
Video shared by Abreu’s office shows a man being wrestled into the unmarked vehicle in front of sacred and confused onlookers, including a young child.
“Show your faces!” a crowd could be heard chanting at the agents, some of whom were masked, as they shoved the man into the car.
amNewYork can confirm that at least one of the agents spotted in this latest incident was also involved in the now-infamous Oct. 21 Canal Street raid that saw street vendors targeted.
“This video of someone being ripped off the street in front of our neighbors is deeply disturbing,” Abreu said. “ICE and other federal agencies that are carrying out Trump’s agenda of detaining people without due process have no place in our city. I condemn this despicable pattern of intimidation, and my office is working to find out more information on this morning’s events. Please stay vigilant and look out for one other.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has spoken out against ICE enforcement for months, told amNewYork on Wednesday that he believes this could be the beginning of more street-level operations by ICE.
The continued use of facial coverings by the agents also brings into question whether this arrest, and others like it, was legal, he noted.
“We are starting to see more and more happening here, like what’s been happening in Chicago, LA, and other places,” Lander said. “How could you tell from that video whether that was a proper, lawful arrest, which we might oppose and not want to happen, but was at least conducted by genuine federal agents pursuant to law? Or whether that’s, you know, people wearing costumes, executing abductions of people with no legal basis whatsoever?”
