Video shows Venezuelan man tackled by federal agents in New Hampshire court
Video shows Venezuelan man tackled by federal agents in New Hampshire court
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Venezuelan man tackled by federal agents at New Hampshire courthouse
In February, a Venezuelan man was tackled by federal agents when he arrived at a courthouse for misdemeanor charges.
When 30-year-old Arnuel Marquez Colmenarez arrived at the courthouse in Nashua, New Hampshire on Feb. 20, he was set to appear for his arraignment on misdemeanor charges. But on the way to the courtroom, he was taken away by federal agents, missing his arraignment completely.
In a video released by the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, Colmenarez is seen entering the Nashua Circuit Court, going through security and into an elevator, where he was followed by two men.
One of the two men tapped Colmenarez's shoulder and identified themselves as a federal agent. As Colmenarez tried to leave the elevator, the video shows he was tackled to the ground, knocking an elderly bystander to the ground in the process.
Colmenarez, who was only steps from the courtroom, never made his arraignment and instead, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator, is currently being held at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas.
A missed court date
According to the Boston Globe, Colmenarez was being arraigned in court for allegedly driving with a blood alcohol concentration more than twice the legal limit on Feb. 9.
The Globe also said Colmenarez was accused of driving without a license and failing to provide information after being involved in a car crash.
According to a police report written by a Hudson Police Department officer and obtained local news media, agents like the ones seen in the video were working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and ICE to detain people who were showing up to court for either arrangements or hearings.
USA TODAY has contacted the Hudson Police Department for more information. The Department of Homeland Security and ATF Boston did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Tuesday.
'Unacceptable': Witnesses describe incident
Witnesses who spoke to WMUR said the altercation was sudden and violent. In the video, an elderly man using a cane was knocked down as Colmenarez was tackled to the ground; the man suffered minor injuries.
"Why is he so violently hustled to the ground the way he was in such an unsafe manner for him and everyone else around him?" the witness told WMUR. "Why? What was the urgency?"
"Unacceptable. That's all I could think of," the witness told WMUR. "I was just so furious. I would not expect this in a courtroom in America."
Others detained in courtrooms
Other incidents like Colmenarez's have recently happened. On March 31, Wilson Martell-Lebron from the Dominican Republic was taken by ICE agents as he appeared in a court in Boston.
Martell-Lebron was on trial for allegedly making false statements on his driver's license application. Witnesses described how plainclothes agents surrounded Martell-Lebron and whisked him away in an unmarked truck.
Days later, Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville ordered a contempt charge against ICE agent Brian Sullivan, but that charge was dropped by a federal judge on Tuesday.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
GOP lawmaker demands accountability for LAPD's delayed response time helping assaulted ICE officers
FIRST ON FOX: California GOP Congressman Darrell Issa is calling for an investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Police Department did not promptly respond to protect ICE officers being assaulted as violence broke out in the city on Friday night. Issa, who represents California's 48th Congressional District and is a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a press release Tuesday he is calling for a "full and complete Congressional investigation" into the response time of the LAPD assisting the ICE officers who, according to a press release from DHS, waited for two hours for assistance. "Last night, over 1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property," DHS said in a press release on Saturday, referring to the previous night when violence broke out in Los Angeles in response to the ICE raids. "It took the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 2 hours to respond." LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, who quickly put out a press release Friday reassuring the public that the department does not participate in immigration activities, pushed back against DHS' claim in a Sunday press conference. "When we heard that, I think anybody who's a police officer couldn't believe it, and certainly anyone with LAPD couldn't imagine how that could happen," McDonnell said to reporters. "Well, it didn't happen." McDonnell claimed that the actual response time was 40 minutes due to traffic. In a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stood by the department's original claim. "The fact remains that it took the Los Angeles Police Department two hours to respond," McLaughlin said. "During that time, over 1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property. DHS is grateful that now the LAPD is stepping up to help restore law and order." Fox News Digital reached out to the LAPD for comment. Issa said in a statement regarding his call for investigation that, "We need to know if the political leadership of the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, or anyone else instructed the LAPD to stand down and not respond to the emergency requests of our ICE agents who were under attack by rioters determined to block them, burn them, or even kill them as they bravely carried out their sworn duties." Democratic leadership in California has faced widespread criticism from conservatives for blaming President Donald Trump for the unrest and referring to the protests, many of them violent, as "peaceful." While some protesters have remained peaceful, violence had taken place by the end of the day Friday and continued into the weekend, resulting in law enforcement officers being injured and attacked with projectiles and fireworks. On Monday, LAPD announced that 50 arrests had been made with charges including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon on an officer, Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reported on X, adding that five LAPD officers and five LAPD horses sustained minor injuries.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tuesday briefing: What Trump's response to the LA protests could mean for US democracy
Late last week, Los Angeles was left stunned as droves of federal US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers bore down on homes, businesses and neighbourhoods across the city in a series of immigration raids. The anti-ICE protests that followed were swift and furious, fuelled in part by the reported ill-treatment of some of the 118 people thought to have been detained, allegedly without judicial warrants. By Friday evening, thousands had taken to the streets in mostly peaceful protests before violence flared in points around the city, with protesters attacking police cars and blocking highways. Then came the response from the White House. President Donald Trump promised to crush the opposition on the LA streets, immediately and with military force, by using his powers to send 4,000 National Guard troops to the city. Yesterday, despite the protests dwindling and remaining largely peaceful, Trump continued to escalate the situation, branding the protesters 'paid insurrectionists' with the administration ordering 700 marines into Los Angeles to support law enforcement in an exceptionally rare domestic deployment. California governor Gavin Newsom has called Trump's response an 'unmistakable step toward authoritarianism', accusing him of intentionally causing chaos, terrorising communities and endangering democracy. Karen Bass, Los Angeles mayor, also warned that LA was being used by the Trump administration as a 'test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government'. For today's newsletter, I spoke with Philippe Sands, the renowned human rights lawyer, on what Trump's response to the anti-immigration protests could mean for US democracy. That's after the headlines. Labour | All pensioners with an income of £35,000 or less a year will have the winter fuel payment restored in full, Rachel Reeves has announced, after weeks of uncertainty over the decision to make a U-turn on scrapping the benefit. Northern Ireland | Public disorder broke out in Ballymena in Northern Ireland, with police saying a number of missiles had been thrown towards officers after crowds gathered near the site of an alleged sexual assault in the town. Reform | Nigel Farage has demanded the reopening of domestic coalmines to provide fuel for new blast furnaces, arguing that Welsh people would happily return to mining if the pay was sufficiently high. AI | All civil servants in England and Wales will get practical training in how to use artificial intelligence to speed up their work from this autumn, the Guardian has learned. More than 400,000 civil servants will be informed of the training which is part of a drive to overhaul the civil service. Music | Sly Stone, the American musician who lit up generations of dancefloors with his gloriously funky and often socially conscious songwriting, has died aged 82. With his group Sly and the Family Stone, Stone tied together soul, psychedelic rock and gospel into fervent, uplifting songs, and became one of the key progenitors of the 1970s funk sound. The speed at which Trump deployed National Guard troops to quell the protests is a sign of just how willing the administration is to flex its power to the absolute constitutional limits. According to Philippe Sands, none of us should be surprised by the tactics deployed. Throughout his career, Sands has documented and examined the methods used by authoritarian regimes and military dictatorships. Sands says that the scenes unfolding in Los Angeles should be seen as part of a wider drive to create a sense of emergency, but also to test the limits of the public's imagination about what is acceptable and what must be resisted. 'People start in one place but very quickly events like we're seeing in Los Angeles can change the parameters of tolerance,' he says. *** What are the LA protests about? Protests broke out across Los Angeles on Friday after agents from ICE conducted a series of high-profile immigration raids, which were met with horror by many locals. LA's city council released a statement that the city, which was 'built by immigrants and thrives because of immigrants' would not 'abide by fear tactics to support extreme political agendas that aim to stoke fear and spark discord in our community.' Across the weekend, thousands joined anti-ICE demonstrations, with violence flaring at points across the city as police cars were attacked and highways blocked. The authorities responded with teargas and rubber bullets. *** What was Trump's response? On Saturday, Trump said he was deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to clamp down on the immigration protests, posting on Truth Social: 'These radical left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will not be tolerated.' Yesterday plans were announced to send 700 marines to LA, with the administration saying they were there to support law enforcement efforts. In sending troops, Trump bypassed the authority of the state's governor Gavin Newsom, who said that the deployment was 'purposefully inflammatory'. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called the images of truckloads of armed National Guard troops arriving in the city 'akin to a declaration of war on all Californians'. *** How has Trump been able to deploy military personnel on to the streets of LA? It's a central tenet of American democracy that the US military should not be used against its citizens. While the American constitution makes the president the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces, a set of constitutional and statutory legal constraints are intended to prevent the abuse of this exceptional power. However there are loopholes, which Trump has been open about his intention to exploit. First is the 18th-century Insurrection Act, which authorises the president to decide whether to use the military to engage in civilian law enforcement in certain situations. While he has labelled the protesters 'insurrectionists', Trump has stopped short of invoking the Insurrection Act in response to the protests in LA. Second is the National Guard. While the US president cannot command military forces against US citizens, he is in charge of the use of the National Guard in Washington DC and can request that other states provide additional guard troops to supplement deployments in emergencies. This weekend is not the first time the National Guard has been sent to Los Angeles. In 2020, troops used smoke canisters and rubber bullets to disperse Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Lafayette Square. In 1992, George HW Bush deployed thousands of troops to quell the riots after the police beating of Rodney King. Yet, significantly, this weekend is the first time since 1965 that a president has sent in the National Guard without being requested to do so by a state governor, something labelled an 'outrageous overreach' by Newsom. *** Should this fuel fears Trump is driving the US towards authoritarianism? In his first term as president, Trump was open about his desire to expand the powers of federal law enforcement and use the military to crush civil protest. Announcing the deployment of National Guard troops in 2020, Trump said: 'If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,' before reportedly advocating for BLM protesters to be shot. Sands is keen to stress we shouldn't be jumping to hasty conclusions, 'but it is obvious there are some warning signs that need to be taken seriously'. He draws parallel's with Augusto Pinochet's Plan Z, where the Chilean dictator concocted a narrative that leftist insurgents were planning a coup to justify violently suppressing dissent and attacking citizens. Now in the US, you have Trump talking about the 'enemy within' to describe illegal immigrants and saying they are a threat to law and order. 'It's a very well-used playbook,' says Sands. 'You use the power of your office to create a climate of fear, which then allows you to go further than you'd otherwise be able to do, to argue for exceptional circumstances.' At the same time, some say that in branding those protesting as a 'mob' being paid to incite violence, the Trump administration is conflating resistance to his immigration policy with unlawful and dangerous behaviour that the administration claims state authorities can't deal with. 'You might say that what is going on in Los Angeles is a way of testing the limits of what the American people are willing to tolerate, whether in these circumstances they can stomach the sight of troops on the streets of a major American city,' says Sands. You only have to look at history to see how quickly such actions can become normalised, he adds. 'It's all part of this testing of the public's capacity to absorb this alongside all the other stuff – banning books, taking people off the streets, deporting without due process. It is a slow creep that takes people past limits that were previously unimaginable.' *** Is this a turning point for US democracy? Sands says that although warning signs are there, the major difference between a case like Pinochet in Chile – the subject of his new book, 38 Londres Street – or other authoritarian regimes, is that so far the Trump administration has not limited – or not been able to limit – the role of the judiciary or the courts in holding the executive to account. 'Judges and lawyers are being attacked, very publicly, but judges have not been removed from office and Congress has not curtailed the powers of the courts,' he says. 'In the past it has been very clear that the role of the judges and the courts is the line that divides democracy and dictatorship. Authoritarian regimes such as the Pinochet dictatorship neutralised the courts almost immediately. In the US this hasn't happened.' Sands says that Trump's decision to bypass the state and directly deploy troops to LA will probably lead to a slew of legal challenges. Already the state of California has said it will sue the government accusing the US president of 'unlawfully' federalizing the state's national guard to quell the protests. 'The courts and the judiciary's powers have actually stood firm so far,' he says. 'And on occasion we've seen the Trump administration blink and roll back when challenged.' However, he concedes that the jury is out on whether this will remain the case. 'Judges in the United States are already under immense pressure,' Sands says. 'President Trump's administration seem to be pushing as far as they can, trying to create cracks and seeing how much they can bend that system.' As anti-ICE protests spread to other cities across the country, political, public and legal resistance that Trump will face in the coming days in LA could be crucial in determining just how resilient the checks and balances built into the US constitution are in face of the real onslaught that Trump 2.0 has unleashed. 'There is a great deal at stake here,' says Sands. 'Warts and all, since 1945 the United States has always seen itself as a beacon for the idea of the rule of law and constitutionalism. If it now descends into classic authoritarianism, the world will be very different.' Oprah, Stanley Tucci and Selena Gomez love them – but just how safe are those supposedly 'nontoxic' ceramic pans taking over your feed? Tom Perkins digs into the murky marketing behind the cookware boom, uncovering how a wellness aesthetic and vague labels are masking potential health risks. Sundus Abdi, newsletters team I loved this piece by Jon Harvey about how Jaws not only changed the film industry but also kickstarted a pathological fear of sharks that led to years of bloodshed and persecution. Thankfully, this seems to be turning and the most misunderstood of marine animals is having a cultural moment thanks to the dulcet tones of kiddie anthem Baby Shark. Annie Forget clubbing – people in Britain are now booking late-night dinner reservations instead. With restaurants staying open later and offering discounts for night-owls, a new night out has emerged. Sundus Chris Godfrey's interview with Brad Dourif, who starred alongside Hollywood greats in many legendary movies (from Cuckoo's Nest to Chucky) and became one of the most beloved of character actors of all time, is a great read. Annie From a darkly tender comedy about three siblings dodging social services (Just Act Normal) to a woman with terminal cancer chasing the perfect orgasm (Dying for Sex), this roundup of 2025's the best TV is anything but predictable. Sundus Football | Belgium raced to a three-goal lead inside half an hour, before Wales, rallied to equalise with the side ranked eighth in the world. A perfect Kevin De Bruyne cross in the 88th minute sealed the deal though, ending the match 4-3 and leaving Wales second in Group J in the World Cup qualifiers. Football | Tottenham have approached Brentford over appointing Thomas Frank as their new head coach. The Dane is the club's No 1 target to replace Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked on Friday, and there is confidence that a deal will be struck in the next 48 hours. Rugby union | A leading executive at TNT Sports has dismissed the proposed R360 breakaway league as 'delusional' while Premiership executives have played down the rebels' threat, insisting rugby 'doesn't need pop-ups'. The Guardian leads with 'Labour pledges £14bn for nuclear to get UK off 'fossil fuel rollercoaster''. The Telegraph follows the same story with '£14 billion for nuclear to keep the lights on'. The Financial Times has 'Reeves retreat restores winter fuel payments to pensioners', while the Times reports 'Millions escape winter fuel cuts'. The Mirror characterises the move as 'Winter wonderful', but the Mail calls the chancellor's comments on the matter 'Deluded'. The Sun follows the story too, under the headline 'It was fuelish so say sorry!' and the i reports 'Winter fuel U-turn gets warm welcome – but Labour MPs warn Reeves: don't make same mistake on disability benefits'. Trump, Musk and the end of a bromance details the explosive falling-out between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and what it tells us about the future of the US presidency. A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad At 67, Jean Walters (pictured above) heard church bells drifting through her garden in Meltham, West Yorkshire. On a whim, she decided to learn how to ring them. What began as a curious hobby turned into a passion. Within a few years, Walters joined the Yorkshire bellringers' association and marked her 80th birthday by ringing eight different patterns – one for each decade of her life. A former soprano and teacher who lost her singing voice, Walters found a new way to express herself through bellringing. She says the physical and mental challenge of bellringing leaves her feeling exhilarated. 'Its another way of expressing my joy of living.' for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Map and List of Anti-ICE Protests Nationwide Following LA Riots
Protests against actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement erupted in several cities across the United States on Monday after clashes between protesters and authorities intensified in Los Angeles over the weekend. Demonstrators gathered in major cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Tampa, San Francisco against ICE raids and in solidarity with the protesters in Los Angeles. The protests have highlighted ongoing divisions over U.S. immigration policy and its impact on communities across the country. Protests against ICE erupted in Los Angeles on Friday, as federal authorities arrested immigrants in several locations throughout the city. Tensions escalated Sunday as thousands took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard. Trump and other administration officials have seized on the images of burning cars, graffiti and Mexican flags to bolster their cause, while California sued the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops. Clashes escalated in Los Angeles over the weekend after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city, in areas including the Fashion District and a Home Depot parking lot. On Sunday, demonstrators blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Thousands peacefully attended a rally at City Hall on Monday, while hundreds protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held, The Associated Press reported. ICE denied these allegations, a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles." Trump ordered thousands of National Guard troops into the city as well as 700 Marines, which California Governor Gavin Newsom has blasted as "reckless" and "disrespectful to our troops." Demonstrators gathered at the Texas Capitol on Monday evening in solidarity with those protesting ICE actions in Los Angeles. Law enforcement used tear gas and pepper spray against protesters and at least two people were arrested, KXAN reported. Protesters gathered in Daley Plaza on Monday to demonstrate against ICE raids in Chicago and Los Angeles, ABC7 reported. On Monday evening, protesters also gathered outside the Chicago Police Department's headquarters, accusing the department of helping ICE with crowd control, which the department denies. Dozens of protesters gathered on Monday evening to protest the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, according to Fox4. The demonstration began on the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge before moving to the streets. Officers used pepper balls to disperse protesters and at least one person was arrested, said Fox News reporter Brooke Taylor on X. At least 20 people were arrested after protesters occupied Trump Tower on Monday, demanding the return of migrants who were sent to the CECOT prison in El Salvador. Rise and Resist, the group that organized the protest, said the demonstrators "went to Trump Tower to protest the illegal kidnappings and deportations of immigrants with due process. We are demanding the Trump regime halt these deportations and bring everyone home who was sent to CECOT." Video posted on social media showed police officers placing demonstrators in zip ties and escorting them from the building. Hundreds of people gathered outside Tampa City Hall on Monday to demand an end to ICE raids across the country. There were some heated moments between anti-ICE protesters and counter-protesters, but no violence was reported, according to Fox13. There were also reports of anti-ICE demonstrations in Seattle, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New Orleans and other cities. More than 30 protests were planned for Monday across the country in support of David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union of California (SEIU) after he was detained during a series of ICE raids in Los Angeles on Friday. He was released on Monday. April Verrett, president of the SEIU, said in a statement on Monday: "We are relieved that David is free and reunited with his family and we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of elected officials, civil rights leaders, labor partners and allies from across the nation who stood in solidarity and demanded David's release. "But this struggle is about much more than just one man. Thousands of workers remain unjustly detained and separated from their families. At this very moment, immigrant communities are being terrorized by heavily militarized armed forces. The Trump regime calling in the National Guard is a dangerous escalation to target people who disagree with them. It is a threat to our democracy. The federal government should never be used as a weapon against people who disagree with them." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X late Monday: "Stop the raids. There is a real fear in Los Angeles right now. Parents, workers, grandparents, young people scared to go about their daily lives. We are a city of immigrants. Washington is attacking our people, our neighborhoods and our economy." California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X that the president "is trying to provoke chaos by sending 4,000 soldiers onto American soil. Foolish agitators who take advantage of Trump's chaos will be held accountable. Stay safe. Stay calm. Look out for one another." President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: "We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated." Demonstrations against ICE actions are expected to continue in Los Angeles and other major cities in the coming days. Coordinated nationwide protests against Trump and his administration's policies are also planned to take place in cities in all 50 states on the president's birthday on June 14. Related Articles Federal Officers 'Overrun' as Santa Ana Protests EscalateLA's Only Elected Republican Reacts to National Guard Troops, ICE RaidsCalifornia Republican: Gavin Newsom Should 'Absolutely Not' Be ArrestedRichard Blumenthal Reveals Trump 'Martial Law' Fear 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
