Report: ICE Brings Back Officer Who Was Suspended Following Dispute With Illegal Immigrant’s Wife

ICE Officer Reinstated After Viral Incident

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly reinstated an officer who was initially removed from his duties following an incident involving a woman, Monica Moreta Galarza. This occurred after footage emerged of Galarza falling during a confrontation at a Manhattan immigration court.

The video, which gained attention on September 25, showed Galarza hitting the ground after an officer grabbed her wrist. Following a preliminary review, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decided to bring the officer back to active duty, according to reports from CBS News.

Initially, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of DHS, labeled the officer’s behavior as “unacceptable.” She stated that ICE agents are held to high occupational standards, which justified the officer’s temporary suspension during the investigation.

However, subsequent reviews of the video and the incident led officials to conclude that the officer’s actions were justified. A tweet from Jack Posobiec mentioned that the officer had returned to full duty after it was found he did nothing wrong.

The occurrence unfolded as Galarza and her daughter were trying to support her husband, Ruben Abelardo Ortiz-Lopez, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, as he was being detained by police. Eyewitnesses reported that Galarza engaged with the officers, and in one clip, she appeared to reach for the officer, asking him to help her family before being removed from the premises.

The ICE agency noted that Ortiz-Lopez had been arrested by local authorities in June for various offenses. It was also mentioned that Galarza, like her husband, is in the country illegally and faces deportation.

A DHS official emphasized a strict stance against illegal immigration, asserting that those who break the law will face arrest. Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Dan Goldman, representing parts of Manhattan, has called for an investigation into the incident, contesting the officer’s conduct as excessive and unnecessary.