Overview
- Bystander video taken in Terminal 3 shows two plainclothes officers pinning a man to the ground, onlookers confronting them, and the officers walking away while a single handcuff remained on the man’s wrist.
- Las Vegas Metro officers who responded found no outstanding local warrant, removed the cuff, notified ICE and said the federal agents had left the scene.
- The Department of Homeland Security identified the man as 57‑year‑old Phu Nguyen, an Australian citizen born in Vietnam who DHS says overstayed a visa, and ICE arrested him at LAX on July 14.
- Nguyen is listed in ICE custody at the Adelanto processing center as removal proceedings proceed and Australia’s DFAT has opened urgent inquiries and offered consular help.
- The episode has renewed calls from senators, civil‑liberties groups and airport officials for clearer identification, recording and operational rules for plainclothes immigration agents at transit hubs.