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An man believed to beryllium an Australian national has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aft bystanders interrupted an earlier effort by agents to detain him.
ICE Los Angeles said Phu Nguyen, 57, primitively of Vietnam, had overstayed his visa, successful a station connected X.
Chris Motley, a film-maker, posted footage connected societal media of an attempted apprehension astatine Harry Reid world airdrome successful Las Vegas connected Monday, saying he had heard a outcry for thief arsenic he walked done nan terminal.
The footage shows Nguyen shouting while a man and a female wearing surgical masks held him to nan crushed and handcuffed him.
“I don’t cognize what they’re doing,” Nguyen said successful nan video.
An airdrome information serviceman stood betwixt Nguyen and a increasing crowd of bystanders earlier nan 2 group stood up and walked away, leaving handcuffs dangling from 1 of Nguyen’s wrists.
“Where are they going?” Nguyen said.
Motley wrote connected Instagram that constabulary arrived soon afterwards but Nguyen was partially handcuffed for complete an hour.
“The man was checked retired by a aesculapian squad earlier boarding his flight, thankfully he was OK and capable to drawback it,” Motley said.
ICE Los Angeles, successful its station connected X, claimed Nguyen had enjoyed “attempts by agitators to thief him evade ICE officers astatine Las Vegas airport”.
It said Nguyen was taken into custody connected Tuesday aft he landed successful Los Angeles.
Democratic legislator Jacky Rosen, of Nevada, condemned nan agency’s “violent attempted apprehension of an aged man” successful posts connected societal media.
She wrote: “Plain clothes. No uniforms. No assemblage cameras. No identification. ICE is continuing to enactment pinch impunity – instilling fearfulness successful our communities and scaring tourists, which hurts our tourism economy.”
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Australia’s section of overseas affairs and waste and acquisition said it was making urgent inquiries aft reports that an Australian national had been detained successful nan United States.
While nan section tin supply consular assistance to immoderate Australian citizen, it cannot get Australians retired of prison.
The ABC reported that nan US Department of Homeland Security described Nguyen arsenic “illegal alien and national of Australia … calved successful Vietnam”.
The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.
US officials are facing mounting calls to unit ICE disconnected American streets aft agents killed 2 men who were not nan target of enforcement action successful little than a week. There have been 22 deaths successful ICE custody successful 2026.
In a station connected X connected Friday, apical US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer criticised Donald Trump’s administration for its wide hiring of ICE officers to enforce intends of wide deportation.
“The Trump administration rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fresh to transportation a badge and a weapon – and Republicans gave this rogue agency immense powerfulness and nary accountability,” Schumer wrote.
