Rep. Dan Goldman Demands Answers After NYPD Officers Injured During November 12 Encounter With Masked, Plain-Clothes ICE Agents

 

NEW YORK, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today sent a letter to NYPD Commissioner Tisch seeking information about the November 12 incident in which several NYPD officers were injured while responding to what appeared to be a violent crime, which in actuality involved Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who had failed to properly identify themselves.  

 

On November 12th, NYPD officers responded to multiple emergency calls near 164th Street and Broadway involving armed, masked individuals removing people from vehicles. Only after NYPD intervened did those individuals identify themselves as federal agents. During the incident, the officers sustained injuries that have not been explained by the NYPD. 

 

“NYPD officers and any state or local authorities should never be put in harm's way because federal agents fail or are simply unwilling to properly identify themselves,” the Congressman said. 

 

Goldman’s letter emphasizes that situations like the November 12th confrontation put NYPD officers in extremely difficult real-time circumstances and create avoidable risks for both law enforcement and the public when federal personnel do not clearly identify themselves. 

 

“These tactics have caused confusion among bystanders, triggered emergency calls from residents who believe they are witnessing violent crimes, and even led to the actual commission of violent crimes by people pretending to be ICE agents,” Congressman Goldman wrote. 

 

Goldman’s letter requests details about the officers’ injuries, whether NYPD has unknowingly confronted DHS officials conducting immigration enforcement before, and what guidance exists to help officers safely respond when federal agents operate without visible identifiers. He requests answers from Commissioner Tisch no later than December 15th, 2025. 

 

 

Dear Commissioner Tisch: 

 

I am writing to you following recent reports that New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers sustained injuries during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on November 12, 2025. During that incident, NYPD officers responded to multiple 911 calls from residents who witnessed plain-clothed armed men pulling individuals out of their vehicles. When officers arrived on the scene, they observed a group chasing an individual near 164th Street and Broadway and intervened to stop what appeared to be a crime in progress. Only after the NYPD got involved did the individuals in pursuit verbally identify themselves as federal immigration officials. The NYPD stated that the officers suffered “minor injuries” but did not specify what those injuries were nor how they occurred. 

 

As you know, this is not an isolated incident. For the last several months, New Yorkers have witnessed first-hand how unmasked, unidentified Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have operated in our neighborhoods wearing plain clothes, concealing their faces, and failing to provide proper identification. These tactics have caused confusion among bystanders, triggered emergency calls from residents who believe they are witnessing violent crimes, and even led to the actual commission of violent crimes by people pretending to be ICE agents. This conduct by ICE has placed NYPD in the extremely challenging position of having to distinguish armed federal agents from criminal actors in real time. Now, this approach has created safety risks not only for the public, but for your officers, who are forced to respond. 

 

Given the risks that these federal operations are now posing on local authorities, I respectfully request the following information: 

NYPD officers and any state or local authorities should never be put in harm's way because federal agents fail or are simply unwilling to properly identify themselves. 

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.  

 

I look forward to your response no later than December 15, 2025.