Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) is demanding a full investigation into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a dramatic confrontation in his Manhattan district office last week, during which federal agents briefly handcuffed one of his aides.
The incident, which unfolded on May 28, has ignited a firestorm, with Nadler condemning the DHS tactics as “totally unacceptable” and a violation of congressional privilege.
The controversy began when Nadler’s staff reportedly observed DHS agents detaining migrants in the same building that houses both the congressman’s office and an immigration court. Following this observation, Nadler’s aides allowed migrant advocates, who had been tracking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, into their office.
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According to Nadler’s chief of staff, Robert Gottheim, DHS officials then accused Nadler’s team of “harboring rioters,” a claim Gottheim has vehemently denied. DHS, in a statement, countered that Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers were “concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office and went to the location to ensure the safety and well-being of those present,” citing “earlier incidents in a nearby facility.”
However, Nadler paints a starkly different picture.
He told CNN News Central that DHS was “upset that some of my staff members were watching them grab immigrants emerging from an immigration court… And they were upset that my staff invited some of the observers up to my office.”
Video footage circulating online over the weekend appears to show the heated confrontation, including agents handcuffing a teary-eyed female staffer. Nadler described the incident as “outrageous,” stating, “My first concern was for the safety of my staff member.” He explained his decision to speak out after DHS released what he called their “misleading and, frankly, lying story.”
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Nadler recounted that when his staff member informed the agents they needed a warrant to enter, “They said, ‘No, we don’t need a warrant,’ which is incorrect. And they barged in.”
He further alleged that “a very big, heavy-set fellow pushed my aide, a very petite young woman,” before he “shackled her and took her downstairs.”
The congressman stated, “She was obviously traumatized.”
Rep. Nadler is now calling for a broad investigation into “ICE tactics,” which he believes are “frankly, very threatening to liberty.” He plans to formally request that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) initiate a probe into the incident and the broader conduct of DHS agents.
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