NEW YORK, NY — A federal immigration officer has been stripped of his duties and placed under investigation after viral video captured him violently shoving an Ecuadorian woman to the floor of a crowded Manhattan courthouse, moments after agents detained her husband.
The highly volatile incident, which unfolded on Thursday at 26 Federal Plaza, a key immigration court in Lower Manhattan, has ignited a fresh firestorm over the aggressive tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inside sensitive legal spaces.
The Courthouse Collision
The woman, identified by reports as Monica Moreta-Galarza, was distraught after ICE agents arrested her husband during his appearance at the asylum court. Video footage, quickly shared across social media, showed Moreta-Galarza and her young children desperately clinging to the detained man and then pleading with the agents.
As one officer attempted to walk away, Moreta-Galarza approached him, crying and demanding answers in Spanish. The agent, in clear view of several witnesses and cameras, is seen yelling “Adios” (Goodbye) before forcibly grabbing her, pushing her against a wall, and then forcefully slamming her to the marble floor. Reports indicate she hit her head and was later taken to a hospital for treatment.
The confrontation instantly drew fierce condemnation from city officials. Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman, whose district includes the courthouse, called the act an “egregious act of excessive force” and, along with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, submitted a formal referral to federal prosecutors demanding a felony prosecution of the officer.
A Rare and Rapid Rebuke
In a rare move of public accountability for the agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, issued a swift and stern statement regarding the incident.
“The officer’s conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS. “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.”
The administrative action marks a notable departure from the Trump administration’s usual defense of aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and underscores the public pressure generated by the clear video evidence. The officer in question has reportedly been the subject of prior complaints concerning his physical conduct in the courthouse.
The incident is the latest flashpoint in the national debate over the escalating presence of ICE agents in courthouses—which advocates argue are sensitive areas that should be off-limits to enforcement actions, as they discourage immigrants from pursuing legal protection or cooperating with local courts.
Moreta-Galarza, an immigrant from Ecuador, reportedly told journalists after the incident, “Over [in Ecuador], they beat us there too. I didn’t think I’d come here to the United States and the same thing would happen to me.”
While the officer is currently relieved of duty, it remains unclear whether the full investigation will lead to a permanent firing or criminal charges. For now, the image of a mother being violently subdued in a temple of justice serves as a searing metaphor for the deepening tensions of America’s immigration crackdown.