An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer has been placed on leave by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a video showing him shoving a woman to the ground in a New York immigration court went viral.

The officer has been relieved of his duties while DHS conducts a full investigation into the incident, which occurred in a courthouse hallway where the woman approached him, visibly distressed.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, The officer's conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE. Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards.

Footage shared widely on social media shows the woman crying and trying to engage with the officer before he aggressively pushes her backward, causing her to fall. In another recording, she is heard shouting in Spanish, take me, take me! while the officer forces her down the hallway and eventually shoves her to the ground.

This troubling incident unfolded as federal agents attempted to detain the woman’s husband, leading her to cling to him as authorities moved in. Reports confirm that she is from Ecuador and sought safety with her children after the confrontation.

The incident raises significant concerns regarding the tactics employed by ICE, especially within courthouse settings where many immigrants seek legal representation and refuge. Congressman Dan Goldman, representing the district where the event took place, called for disciplinary measures and reforms to prevent future incidents of this nature.

This is not an isolated event; ICE officers have increasingly been conducting arrests within federal courthouses amid heightened immigration enforcement during the Trump administration, impacting numerous individuals and families across the nation.