ICE Officer Placed on Leave After Violent Incident with Woman at New York Immigration Court

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was placed on administrative leave after a video surfaced showing him pushing Monica Moreta-Galarza, an Ecuadorian woman, to the ground in New York City's Federal Plaza Immigration Court. The incident occurred as officers arrested Moreta-Galarza's husband, with the woman and her children pleading for his release before the officer forcibly pushed her against a wall and then to the floor, causing her to hit her head. Department of Homeland Security's Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the officer's conduct as "unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE," confirming a full investigation is underway. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who witnessed the arrest, criticized the treatment as inhumane, and other officials including Rep. Dan Goldman and mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani called for accountability and safeguards. Moreta-Galarza expressed shock, stating she did not expect to experience such violence in the U.S. after fleeing abuse in Ecuador. The incident has drawn attention to increasing ICE arrests at courthouses amid the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement policies.