The footage coming out of ICE raids is disturbing, unsettling, and sickening. The tactics used are violent and often illegal, leaving onlookers helpless. As arrests become more frequent, viral footage is the most reliable proof the country has of what happens behind closed doors. In a video posted by NBC L.A., one of these videos from New York City shows just how cruel border patrol agents have become in their ruthless methods.
The video, which was taken at a New York City detention center, shows a woman pleading in Spanish with an ICE agent. Her husband has been detained, and you can hear her repeating, “Please, take me with you.” As the hysterical woman pleads with the officer, he asks, “Why?” and says, “Adios,” several times while trying to avoid her.
The woman, clearly distraught, says, “They are going to kill him, they pulled my hair, you don’t care about anything,” as two children watch by her side. In one heartbreaking and infuriating moment, the ICE agent appears to lose his patience and shoves the woman to the floor. As she lies on the ground, he screams in her face, telling her to be quiet.
The two children beside her attempt to stop the clearly furious ICE agent. Onlookers rush to help, trying to keep the two separated as a man with a camera steps into the frame. As chaos erupts in the small hallway, more ICE agents emerge in full riot gear. They push the woman, children, and onlookers in the hall toward the door, yelling, “Move!”
The pain and fear felt by the woman in this video have resonated with viewers, who are enraged and tired of the state of the country. “This isn’t self-defense, she was barely even touching him, and he is a literal full-grown man tackling a woman,” one TikTok user commented. “She was in distress, barely touched him, didn’t inflict any damage whatsoever. For this, she got tackled brutally, pinned to the wall for a few seconds, and was on the ground because of it,” another user said. “She lost her husband and gained violence in return. This is not right.”
