A Queens family who the New York Immigration Coalition says had their apartment was raided by armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week spoke out Thursday.
“He yelled for me to come out, and then I told him, ‘Wait for me.’ And then he gets close and pulls me. Since my daughter didn’t let go of my chest, he pulled me from here. When she didn’t let go of my chest, that’s when he grabbed me from here,” Jennifer, a woman who the NYIC says had her home raided by ICE, told NY1 through an interpreter. “I was like, what the hell is going on? I didn’t think anything because I don’t have a criminal record. I have nothing.”
The New York Immigration Coalition released the video of the incident on Wednesday.
The coalition says it shows ICE agents forcing their way into the family’s home without a warrant.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, says they did have an arrest warrant for Raymundo Gabriel Huerra-Betancourt, who they say lived at the address and has a lengthy criminal history. They say he is the cousin of the woman in the video.
DHS responded to the incident, saying, in part, “Any allegation that ICE officers threatened a woman and her children with a firearm is false.”
“Officers approached the residence and knocked on the door for approximately 20 minutes, attempting to gain voluntary cooperation to enter the residence. When no response was received, officers used their training and lawfully entered the home,” the statement continued.