On October 27th at around 10am, federal Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents arrested a comrade outside of their apartment. The agents were apparently waiting for this person for several hours, and upon seeing them exit their apartment, called out their name and proceeded to arrest them. An arrest warrant was shown during transport to the federal courthouse. The agents did not enter this person’s apartment or take any of their devices.
Later that same day, the arrested person was arraigned in front of a judge and released on a $25,000 bond with travel restrictions. They were not questioned or interrogated by law enforcement and only spoke to their lawyer. They are now facing two federal charges: Felony assault on a federal officer and misdemeanor impeding an official search. The government claims this happened in late July, during an incident where ICE was believed to be abducting people in Washington Heights. At the time, the person was detained (but not charged) by HSI and the DEA.
The case is in its early phase and there is no more information to share right now. Speculation and spreading rumors is not helpful. These charges are entirely spurious and exaggerated. Fascism and police violence continue to escalate in NYC and around the country. One of the best strategies to combat this is to stand behind our most repressed comrades and fight with them.
Make sure that your loved ones have a response plan in case you are arrested. Include things such as your full legal name, a spare key to your home, your medical information, contact information of others you want alerted, a preferred lawyer’s number, and your wishes regarding press and publicity.
If you are experiencing federal repression, please contact the National Lawyer Guild’s Federal Defense Hotline: (212)-679-2811
If you are local to NYC and want support, please reach out to us at nycantirepressiongroup@proton.me
Keeping repression quiet only benefits the State and further isolates our comrades. Please notify your communities of law enforcement activity as soon as possible.