ICE agents tackled, handcuffed, and abandoned arrest of Australian man at Las Vegas airport

On July 13, 2026, two plainclothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempted to detain Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Australian citizen who had overstayed a 2013 visa, in Terminal 3 of Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Bystander video showed the officers, one of whom wore a surgical mask and displayed only a partially concealed badge, pinning Nguyen to the ground; when a crowd gathered and a Transportation Security Administration officer stepped in, the pair abruptly walked away, leaving Nguyen handcuffed to one arm. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded, found no outstanding warrants, and removed the handcuff before notifying ICE. The Department of Homeland Security said the officers withdrew "to de-escalate the situation and for officer safety," and ICE arrested Nguyen the next day as he boarded a flight departing Los Angeles International Airport.

U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto called the video "deeply disturbing," and Sen. Jacky Rosen said ICE was "continuing to act with impunity." The Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus and the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Caucus called for a full investigation into the aborted arrest.