ICE agents leave Asian man cuffed, screaming at Las Vegas airport before vanishing

A 57-year-old Asian man was left handcuffed and screaming on an airport floor in Las Vegas after two plainclothes ICE agents abandoned him following an attempted arrest, walking away once onlookers began filming.

The incident occurred in Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International Airport just after 6 p.m. on July 13. A masked woman and a man, both in plainclothes, held the Asian man to the ground and worked to handcuff him. DHS later identified him as Phu Nguyen. He screamed at the person recording, “I don’t know what they’re doing.” Moments later, the male agent tugged his own hoodie down over his face.

As travelers stopped to watch, a uniformed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer stepped between the agents and the growing crowd, warning, “Back up, it’s law enforcement.” DHS said the agents then left to “de-escalate the situation and for officer safety,” abandoning the arrest and leaving one handcuff still fastened to Nguyen’s wrist. Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department then ran a records check, found no outstanding warrants, removed the cuff and alerted ICE.

Nguyen, a citizen of Australia, was arrested the next day as he prepared to board a flight at Los Angeles International Airport. DHS claims he had entered the U.S. legally with permission to remain only until May 26, 2015.

Among those who stepped in was Chris Motley, who recorded the encounter and told FOX5 that the woman agent “dropped what she was doing” as her partner “swiped at my phone, swiped at me.” Motley, who is Black, said the moment reflected something he has “frequently” seen or experienced as a person of color. Meanwhile, Julian Vasquez Heilig, a passenger who later spoke with Nguyen aboard their shared flight, told CNN that Nguyen was anxious about what awaited him upon landing, worried that “ICE would grab him up.”

Reacting to the incident, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Grace Meng wrote, “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.”

Nguyen was confronted by unmarked agents who never identified themselves even after cuffing him. The incident shows the extent of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, which has seen racial profiling, broken families and numerous deaths, among other issues. Needless to say, his particular experience demands answers about who exactly is enforcing immigration law in Nevada and how.

For now, Nguyen remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.