Outrage after ICE agents tackle man at Las Vegas airport

PHOENIX —

Video footage of two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tackling a man at the airport in the Las Vegas metro area drew public outrage and criticism from elected officials.

One video posted on social media showed an older man yelling and crying on the ground in Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International Airport on Monday when a man and a masked woman, both in plainclothes, tried to control, handcuff and detain him. When the pair realized they were being filmed, they walked away, leaving the older man with a handcuff attached to one arm.

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Late Monday afternoon, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police identified the pair as ICE agents. They found no outstanding warrants on him, removed his handcuffs, and notified ICE.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers did not proceed with the arrest of Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old citizen of Australia who overstayed his visa, at the Las Vegas Airport on Monday. ICE arrested him at his flight departing the Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said.

“ICE is continuing to act with impunity — instilling fear in our communities and scaring tourists, which hurts our tourism economy,” Democratic U.S. senator for Nevada 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 are calling for a full investigation into the aborted arrest by ICE at Harry Reid International Airport, urging Gov. Joe Lombardo to explain the transparency and accountability for federal law enforcement agencies operating in Nevada.