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Viral Video Shows ICE Aborting Arrest at Las Vegas Airport

Posted on: July 16, 2026, 10:47h.

Last updated on: July 16, 2026, 11:07h.

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Corey Levitan Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas...
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Key Points

ICE agents at Harry Reid Airport aborted an arrest after bystanders intervened during the encounter
ICE said the detainee, a Vietnamese national who overstayed a 2013 visa, was later apprehended in Los Angeles
Viral footage captured the scuffle, raising questions about ICE protocols regarding plainclothes enforcement in public spaces

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempted to arrest a man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Monday (July 13) but aborted the arrest after being surrounded by a group of bystanders, according to ICE.

The man was identified by ICE as Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Vietnamese national. ICE said Nguyen had overstayed a visa he legally obtained in 2013.

Phu Nguyen, a 57-year-old Vietnamese national, is photographed after his arrest by ICE in Los Angeles. (Image: ICE Los Angeles)

The incident at Harry Reid was recorded by Chris Motley, a filmmaker who was headed home after working on a documentary. His video shows Nguyen on the ground yelling while two people in civilian clothes attempt to restrain him.

Motley can repeatedly be heard asking, “What’s going on?” before they abort the arrest and leave the area.

In the footage, embedded below from Motley’s Instagram account, one of the individuals wears a black hoodie pulled over their head while positioned on top of Nguyen. A second person, described as a blonde woman, wears a grey hoodie, black leggings, and a blue medical mask.

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A post shared by Chris Motley (@motleymodel)

According to ICE, the officers disengaged “to de-escalate the situation and for officer safety.” Doing so left Nguyen with a pair of handcuffs still locked to his left wrist.

ICE stated that Nguyen legally entered the U.S. on May 27, 2013, on a visa that expired on May 26, 2015. The agency said Nguyen “refused to depart in violation of our nation’s laws.” ICE added that he was taken into custody the following day at Los Angeles International Airport as he attempted to board a flight.

“Nguyen will receive full due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings,” the agency said.

ICE did not respond to questions about whether its officers routinely conduct enforcement actions in civilian clothing or where Nguyen is currently being held.

Motley said he recorded the encounter to document what was happening and did not anticipate it would gain such widespread attention.

Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas.

Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city’s history. (For “Fear and Loafing,” he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.)

Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post.

Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook.

Contact Corey at corey@casino.org.