A New Yorker suspended and detained by immigration and customs execution agents
“[ICE] Said they were looking for criminals, but in reality they are criminals, “Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old man, told reporters on Thursday’s press conference.
Electrik Lemus drove on the passenger car seat on the way to work when ice agents stopped a vehicle in Westbury in New York. Ice agents reportedly said Lemus looks like something we are looking for. “
He asked, “What exactly are you looking for because it’s definitely not me.” His major interaction with ICE was captured in a mobile phone video.
After the car was stopped, Lemus says it is surrounded by ice and homeland security research vehicles. The agents then threatened him and demanded his identity document.
Elzon Lemus, 23, was suspended and detained on the way to work on the way to work because he “looked like” they were looking for. Lemus is a US citizen, and when he demanded that he or she was determined by the information that detained him, they refused (NBC4)
“This will be one of two ways here. I have to see your ID document – if you are not the guy I am looking for, you are not the guy I am looking for. But we need your identity document,” the ice agent writes in the video.
Lemus said they demanded an agent’s name and a badge number, but they refused to provide any identification information, claiming that they were “not allowed” to do so.
“I told them that I was not authorized to give my identity document then,” Lemus said.
The ice agent threatened him again.
“If we do not receive your ID document, we will need to find out another way, like ID ID, and it may not work for you,” the agent said.
Lemus was then placed in handcuffs to refuse to identify ice agents. He said he was hesitant to cooperate because he had not committed any crime and knew that federal agents were not local police, the NBC 4 reports.
The ice agent, requiring Elzon Lemus, a 23 -year -old electrician in New York and a US citizen, would show his identity document because he “looks like something” looking for federal agents. (Elzon lemus)
“I didn’t want to get my ID document because as soon as I saw how they were dressed, I knew they weren’t police officers. I had not committed a crime and did not drive,” he said.
The ice agents allegedly left Lemus cuffs for 20-25 minutes and seized his phone to prevent him from filming them. Finally, they found his identity document in his pocket.
“It was a heart pain … It seemed like my rights were just out the window,” Lemus said.
The Lemus lawyer calls alleged ICE harassment a violation of his client’s federal civil rights.
“It’s not America. It’s not like we, as Americans, should live. It is not like this young man, like a young Spanish man going to work at 7:30 in the morning, must be welcomed at the beginning of his day,” said lawyer Fred Brewington.
The lawyer stated that the ice could not simply “stop people by accidental,” to stop people “, calling it” contradictory to the Constitution. “
Philip Ramo, a former police detective in New York State Assembly, also weighed and demanded an investigation. He called the incident a racial profiling.
Lemus and his lawyer are calling for a detailed investigation of the US Department of Justice. They have not filed a claim at this time.
As a result of this event, Lemus was afraid of future potential meetings with federal agents, based not only on his ethnicity.
“It seemed like I lost all the rights when they covered me,” he said. “I felt that I had nothing anymore, I felt that they had abolished my rights, I was sincerely shocked.”
Independent contacted ICE to comment.