The chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) calls it “only the latest example of ICE terrorizing our communities.”
Rep. Grace Meng was referring to a video showing ICE agents tackling an elderly Asian man on Monday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
From Instagram/@motleymodel Chris Motley
“Two ICE agents, dressed in plain clothes and wearing no visible identification, tackled an elderly Asian man to the ground at an airport. They were not wearing body cameras—just like the agents who shot and killed two innocent people last week—despite receiving $20 million to purchase the equipment in the Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill.”
The man, Phu Nguyen, 57, is an Australian citizen who was born in Vietnam. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Nguyen entered the United States on a two-year visa that expired in 2015.
Las Vegas police said ICE agents initially attempted to detain Nguyen at the airport but walked away from the arrest. Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department removed his handcuffs after a records check found no outstanding warrants and notified ICE of the results.
Nguyen was taken into custody the following day at Los Angeles International Airport, according to DHS.
Meng also cited what her office described as sharp increases in immigration arrests, detentions and deportations involving Asian immigrants and Pacific Islanders under the Trump administration, arguing the incident reflects broader concerns about immigration enforcement in AAPI communities.
Meng also pointed to other recent incidents involving Asian Americans, including the detention of an Asian woman and the arrest of a Hmong American citizen in Minnesota, arguing they reflect a broader pattern of aggressive immigration enforcement.
The New York Democrat called on Republicans in Congress to support increased oversight of ICE and restore what she described as transparency and accountability within the agency.
Leave a Reply