{"id":44219,"date":"2025-09-27T12:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T19:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=44219"},"modified":"2025-09-27T12:58:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T19:58:15","slug":"ice-agent-filmed-throwing-asylum-seeker-to-ground-at-nyc-court-in-egregious-act-of-excessive-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/27\/ice-agent-filmed-throwing-asylum-seeker-to-ground-at-nyc-court-in-egregious-act-of-excessive-force\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE Agent Filmed Throwing Asylum-Seeker to Ground at NYC Court in \u2018Egregious Act of Excessive Force\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"ICE<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A federal agent restrains the wife of the detained man from Ecuador on September 25, 2025, in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by Stephanie Keith\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver [in Ecuador], they beat us there too,\u201d said Monica Moreta-Galarza. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d come here to the United States and the same thing would happen to me.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

STEPHEN PRAGER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sep 26, 2025 (CommonDreams.org)<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the latest display of brutality by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a video that has gone viral on social media shows a plainclothes ICE agent hurling an Ecuadorian asylum-seeker, Monica Moreta-Galarza, to the ground at an immigration courthouse in New York City following the arrest of her husband in front of their two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agent has been relieved of his duties while his conduct is investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Over<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over 70 Arrested, Including City Officials, During Protests Against ICE Detention in NYC<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Human<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Human Rights Watch Demands Probe of Fatal ICE Shooting Near Chicago as Video Undermines DHS Claims<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The incident was captured by multiple reporters on the scene Thursday. A video posted by Elaad Eliahu of the conservative Timcast News <\/em>network shows Moreta-Galarza\u2019s husband\u2014who had appeared for a court hearing with his family as part of their legal application for asylum\u2014being wrestled away from his family by several masked agents as he attempts to cling to them. After ripping him away, three agents are shown dragging him out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another video, Moreta-Galarza is seen tearfully pleading in Spanish with one of the ICE agents, who is wearing a blue flannel shirt, a baseball cap, and no mask. He is shown repeatedly shouting \u201cadios\u201d at her, telling her to leave. When she moves toward him, he quickly grabs her and flings her across the room, through a crowd of photographers, and into the opposite wall. He then grabs her again and pushes her to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After she rises to her feet, the agent shoves Moreta-Galarza into the arms of security guards who escort her from the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1971236974116864276&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fice-throws-woman-to-ground&partner=rebelmouse&sessionId=1396ea48953eadf2d079271b30a3d44bcda539c7&siteScreenName=commondreams&siteUserId=14296273&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Eliahu\u2019s post described the man arrested as an \u201cillegal alien,\u201d ProPublica<\/a><\/em>\u2018s Till Eckert, who was at the scene and spoke with Moreta-Galarza after the fact, reported that she \u201cwas seeking asylum with her family,\u201d which is legal under US law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident occurred at 26 Federal Plaza, a federal building that houses an immigration courthouse and a makeshift detention facility in which migrants have been shown<\/a> to be living in wretched conditions recently. Last week, over 70 demonstrators, including several state lawmakers, were arrested<\/a> during a protest at the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the past two weeks, I\u2019ve been going to the same New York City immigration courthouse,\u201d Eckert said. \u201cNearly every time, I see ICE agents arresting immigrants. Today, a woman was slammed to the ground after begging officials not to take her husband away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eckert reported that Moreta-Galarza\u2019s injuries from the encounter required her to go to the hospital, where she has since been discharged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrest is part of an increasing trend<\/a> under the second Trump administration of immigrants being detained, often violently, while attempting to follow the legal process by appearing in court for immigration hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Stateline<\/a> <\/em>reported in August, ICE has increasingly been using a new, \u201cunexpected legal tactic\u201d to lure immigrants: \u201cRather than pursue a deportation case, it is convincing judges to dismiss immigrants\u2019 cases\u2014thus depriving the immigrants of protection from arrest and detention\u2014then taking them into custody.\u201d While some are undocumented entrants, many of those snatched up in these courthouse arrests are legal applicants for asylum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eckert explained that \u201cthese sorts of actions were outside the norm historically for ICE agents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYet under Trump\u2019s second term, immigration courts have shifted from being seen as relatively safe venues into places where immigrants face the risk of surveillance, arrest, and sometimes even violence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Trump administration often describes those arrested by ICE as \u201cthe worst of the worst,\u201d immigration data<\/a> as of September 7 showed just over 70% of those currently detained have no criminal convictions. On Friday, The Guardian<\/a> <\/em>reported that a plurality of people currently in ICE custody have not even been charged with crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said<\/a> that Moreta-Galarza \u201cfled to my office for safety after she was assaulted by this [ICE] agent in an egregious act of excessive force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recorded interview after the incident, Goldman said his office would \u201ccontinue to follow this particular story because it is just one example of too many where we have these secret police officers who are attacking our communities with excessive violence, excessive force, and they just think that they can do it with impunity because nobody is holding them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media users later identified another video outside the same court in August, which appeared to show the same ICE agent forcibly prying a crying young girl away from her father as he is arrested and his family watched in tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/status\/1971387520400425057\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a statement<\/a> provided to CBS News<\/em> on Friday, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, called the agent\u2019s conduct toward Moreta-Galarza \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York City comptroller Brad Lander, who has been arrested twice at the facility\u2014once in June while escorting<\/a> an immigrant out of his court hearing and again last week<\/a> while protesting the facility\u2014expressed outrage<\/a> at the treatment of Moreta-Galarza and her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital,\u201d Lander said. \u201cSeconds earlier, her husband had been abducted by masked ICE agents who did not identify themselves, did not present a warrant, did not give any lawful grounds for his detention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/x.com\/bradlander\/status\/1971268565753004069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1971268565753004069%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fice-throws-woman-to-ground<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery day, masked ICE agents are acting violently against our neighbors, illegally abducting them, holding them in cruel and inhumane conditions. Treating them as less-than-human and not deserving due process,\u201d Lander continued. \u201cWe will not stop bearing witness, stop condemning them, or stop doing all we can to stand up to this lawless behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York,\u00a0called<\/a>\u00a0the agent\u2019s behavior \u201csickening,\u201d and said, \u201cthe fact that Mayor [Eric] Adams has rolled out the red carpet for ICE is a stain on our city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/status\/1971387520400425057\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After being discharged from the hospital, Moreta-Galarza spoke about her experience to reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver [in Ecuador], they beat us there too,\u201d she said in Spanish. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d come here to the United States and the same thing would happen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEPHEN PRAGER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen Prager is a staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Bio ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A federal agent restrains the wife of the detained man from Ecuador on September 25, 2025, in New York City. \u00a0(Photo by Stephanie Keith\/Getty Images) \u201cOver [in Ecuador], they beat us there too,\u201d said Monica Moreta-Galarza. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d come here to the United States and the same thing… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44219"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44220,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44219\/revisions\/44220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}