ICE Detains U.S. Citizen by Mistake in New York, Sparking Outrage and Probe Demand

Earlier in May, a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York City despite being a legal U.S. citizen. A congressman has now demanded an investigation into the matter.

On May 6, 20-year-old Jeury Concepcion revealed he was violently tackled by ICE. According to Jeury Concepcion, he was peacefully walking down the street in a Bronx neighborhood when federal agents surrounded him and raised their weapons.

“They didn't identify themselves as ICE. They just grabbed me and threw me on the floor and started hurting me,” Concepcion said in an interview with NBC New York. “They didn’t want to talk to me. They want to kill me,” he added. The agents then handcuffed him, lifted him up, and placed him in their car. All this while, Concepcion’s head was bleeding as he had hit the ground.

Concepcion said that after driving a little further, the ICE agents realized that he was not the man they were searching for. “He told me he's sorry, that he [was] confusing me with somebody else, and that it would never happen again. And I told him I'm going to report them,” Concepcion said.

The agents then dropped him off at a park while he continued to bleed. Concepcion eventually contacted his grandmother, who took him to a hospital. He had to get multiple stitches for the injury. A video of the incident was posted online and sparked backlash, with people calling for accountability from ICE. Many also questioned the agents’ move to detain people based on their appearance.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later released a statement, explaining Concepcion’s physical description matched an illegal immigrant ICE was looking for. The department further said Concepcion was detained because he refused to identify himself.

“When law enforcement approached the individual, he became combative and refused to identify himself. A large crowd of anti-ICE agitators descended and swarmed officers. For their safety, they temporarily detained the individual to safely finish asking their questions. Once officers finished their questioning, he was promptly released,” the DHS said.

Bronx Representative Ritchie Torres has written a letter to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, calling for an investigation into Concepcion’s detention. “Once in handcuffs, it is clear that Jeury suffered injuries from the encounter, including scratches and a gash on the right side of his head. In an interview with a local news station, you can see that Jeury required stitches to close the gash on his head,” the Democratic leader wrote.

“These are the moments when it is critical for your office to conduct a thorough investigation into the unjust detainment of Jeury Concepcion based on mistaken identity,” Torres continued. He has demanded a response from Cuffari by May 22.

In the letter, Torres highlighted another incident where ICE agents grabbed a man who was entering a building on Hull Avenue in the Bronx. The congressman said that, similar to Concepcion’s case, the man was tackled to the ground and detained. Torres has urged the Department of Homeland Security to open an investigation into this incident as well.