NEW YORK (AP) — A significant clash occurred outside a New York City immigration court when federal agents violently confronted journalists attempting to document their actions, resulting in one injured journalist being taken to the hospital.
The incident involved L. Vural Elibol, a visual journalist from the Turkish news agency Anadolu, who struck his head after being pushed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Witnesses reported that the agents forced another journalist, Dean Moses of amNewYork, out of a public elevator and pushed freelance photographer Olga Fedorova to the bathroom floor.
Elibol was reportedly treated by a nurse before being transported on a stretcher with a neck brace. Other involved journalists did not sustain serious injuries.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents’ actions, stating they were overwhelmed by what she described as “agitators and members of the press” obstructing the operations.
Reporters involved expressed that they were not informed of any restrictions during the arrest process and had been covering the area without incident for months.
Disputes arose after the event was caught on camera, where it captured a federal agent shoving an Ecuadorian woman against a wall very recently. Critics, including local politicians, condemned the aggressive tactics employed by ICE, calling them dangerous for both journalists and immigrants.
Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the treatment of both law-abiding immigrants and the journalists documenting their experiences, stating this behavior must stop. The rising concern among the community regarding the enforcement tactics reflects deepening divisions over immigration policy in the U.S.
