Reps. Goldman, Espaillat, Menendez Demand Answers After NYPD Officers Injured During November 12 Encounter With Masked, Plain-Clothes ICE Agents
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Representative Rob Menendez (NJ-08), announced that they have sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons 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 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 the 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. On November 25, Rep. Goldman sent a letter seeking details about the incident to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“Incidents like these reflect a growing pattern of dangerous — even criminal — incidents arising out of ICE’s violations of its own regulations. When ICE conducts street arrests in dense residential neighborhoods wearing masks while dressed indistinguishably from armed kidnappers, it invites clashes with civilians and local law enforcement,” the lawmakers wrote.
The 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.
The lawmakers continued, “This behavior is unacceptable and continues to jeopardize both public safety and the ability of our local law enforcement officers to do their jobs.”
The lawmakers requested information from DHS about how they monitor and enforce office compliance with federal regulations related to arrests, details on reports that DHS has received about ICE failing to properly identify themselves during an arrest and enforcement action, and information about how many times the NYPD has been forced to intervene, or respond to, DHS and ICE operations in New York City.
The full letter can be found here and below.
Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:
We write to you to demand answers regarding a recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in New York City that resulted in New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers sustaining injuries from a conflict with federal officers.
According to public reports, on November 12, NYPD officials responded to multiple 911 calls from Washington Heights residents who witnessed four plain-clothed, armed men aggressively pulling individuals out of their cars. When NYPD officers arrived on the scene, they witnessed a group chasing someone near 164th Street and Broadway. The NYPD officers started to intervene, only to discover that the four unidentified men were ICE agents. NYPD has confirmed that two of their officers sustained injuries during this encounter.
Incidents like these reflect a growing pattern of dangerous — even criminal — incidents arising out of ICE’s violations of its own regulations. When ICE conducts street arrests in dense residential neighborhoods wearing masks while dressed indistinguishably from armed kidnappers, it invites clashes with civilians and local law enforcement. In fact, according to public reports, even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly urged ICE to stop using masks and plain clothes because criminals are imitating secret ICE agents to commit crimes.1
The injuries sustained by local authorities during this interaction is a direct result of ICE’s aggressive enforcement policies and failure to provide proper identification. As you are well aware, federal regulations require immigration officers to identify themselves “as soon as it is practical and safe to do so.”2 That identification must happen before clashes with local officers that apparently caused injuries to the local officers.
This behavior is unacceptable and continues to jeopardize both public safety and the ability of our local law enforcement officers to do their jobs.
Accordingly, we request immediate answers to the following:
- How does DHS monitor and enforce officer compliance with federal regulations related to identification during arrests, including obligations under 8 C.F.R. § 287.8(c)?
- How does DHS determine whether an officer provided identification with sufficient promptness to meet the requirement to do so “as soon as it is practical and safe to do so”? Please include the criteria used to evaluate compliance.
- How many reports has DHS received since January 20th, 2025, alleging that ICE or other immigration enforcement officers failed to appropriately identify themselves during an arrest or enforcement action? In how many cases did DHS take any disciplinary or corrective action?
- How many times since January 20th, 2025, has the NYPD been forced to intervene in or respond to DHS or ICE operations taking place in New York City because federal officials failed to visibly or promptly identify themselves?
Your Department's reckless and overaggressive conduct continues to endanger New Yorkers and local law enforcement, all while undermining public trust. We expect a detailed response by December 12th, 2025.
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