Las Vegas Buffet Altercation Triggers ICE Arrest and Deportation of Tourist

A slap at the Wynn Las Vegas buffet led a tourist to spend three months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody before being deported.

Arpine Misakyan from Southern California was arrested on April 6, 2026 at Encore Las Vegas for domestic battery after a dispute with her husband at The Buffet at Wynn, according to an arrest report obtained by KLAS-TV/Las Vegas.

Though the Clark County District Attorney’s office declined to pursue a domestic battery charge against Misakyan for striking her husband, that didn’t stop ICE from arresting her while she was in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.

Misakyan was transferred to the Henderson Detention Center, then to the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility in San Bernardino County, Calif., before accepting voluntary deportation to Armenia three months later.

“ICE Salt Lake City officers in Las Vegas arrested Arpine Misakayan [sic], 28, an illegal alien from Armenia at the Clark County Detention Center April 8,” an ICE spokesperson told KLAS in a statement. “Misakyan accepted voluntary departure and was removed to her home country July 4, 2026.”

According to KLAS, Misakyan had a pending asylum case at the time.

The Dispute

According to Misakyan’s arrest report, the couple was arguing about a phone when Wynn’s security cameras captured Misakyan slapping her husband and a surveillance officer called the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

In bodycam video of Misakyan’s arrest captured by LVMPD, Misakyan’s husband, Karen Harutyunyan, told officers: “Wife was feel no good. Wife slap me because me and my wife, today too much party and enjoy, okay? Family problems.”

Misakyan was removed from the Encore on a stretcher after complaining of high blood pressure and trouble breathing. She was taken to UMC hospital and observed before being removed to the Clark County Detention Center.

ICED Out

Karen Harutyunyan tried several times to free his wife, to no avail. At first, an officer cited Nevada’s requirement of a 12-hour hold in domestic violence cases (NRS 178.484, the mandatory cooling-off period before bail) as the reason for her incarceration. 

ICE was notified due to LVMPD’s ICE notification policy (and a separate 287(g) Warrant Service Officer memorandum of agreement).

The policy states: “When a foreign-born individual is arrested and charged with a felony, domestic violence, driving under the influence (DUI), burglary, theft, larceny, petit larceny, and/or assault of a law enforcement officer, the Detention Services Division (DSD) will notify ICE at the time of both booking and release.”

On May 18, Misakyan sued James Janecka — warden of the high-desert ICE Processing Center where she was being held – as well as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, senior ICE official Tae Johnson, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in an attempt to challenge her detention.

Before the judge got to decide the merits of her case, however, she chose to drop her lawsuit and self-deport.