Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall is publicly questioning the forcible detainment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of a woman in the baggage claim area of Salt Lake City International Airport.
Video taken by Shannon Hale of Wednesday afternoon's incident shows a woman, later identified as Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, screaming while being brought through the airport by plain-clothed ICE agents. A woman can be heard asking agents to "have mercy" on the lady.
"I am left wondering and aching from the fear and pain these types of operations keep striking in my heart and the hearts of so many of us," Mendenhall said of the incident.
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In a statement provided by ICE, they said the 39-year-old Leiva was in the country illegally from El Salvador, and she was arrested as part of a targeted enforcement operation. Leiva will be held in ICE custody until she is deported to her home country.
Mendenhall said she has watched the social media videos of the incident that have been shared, as well as body camera footage from a responding Salt Lake City Police officer. She admitted not knowing the reason behind the detainment, adding, "we seldom do when ICE acts, but I do know that this incident has had a major impact on our community."
Mendenhall questioned why the agents wore no forms of identification and asked why ICE chose to detain someone in the lobby of the airport.
"What I do know is that nothing about this incident, like so many ICE operations, makes me feel safer as an American," she said.
A spokesperson with the airport said law enforcement is permitted on its campus and does not need to give prior notice before arriving.
Mendenhall shared that local police officers are prohibited from interfering in federal immigration activities, but added that the city has requested additional information from federal officials about the detainment.
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is executing its mission of identifying and removing criminal aliens and others who have violated our nation’s immigration laws," ICE added in its statement. "All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality."
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Patricia Quinonez, leader of the Latino community group Utah Zolanos, is worried that these public arrests could happen to anyone at any time.
"It's very sad, when I can see a mother cry for her son, for your family, and I don't know what happened," said Quinonez. "I think what happened, what the agents did to these women, I don't know for tomorrow maybe my neighbor or my son or my friend."
The Salt Lake City Council has released the following statement on the airport arrest:
The Salt Lake City Council has released the following statement in response to an Oct. 29 arrest by federal immigration officials at the Salt Lake City International Airport:
We are aware of an arrest conducted by federal immigration agents, which is unusual at the Salt Lake City International Airport. Incidents like this create fear and uncertainty in our community. The operation was not coordinated with or directed by Salt Lake City Police.
We have requested additional information from federal agencies in the interest of promoting transparency, accountability and the well-being of all who live in and visit our city. Salt Lake City remains committed to treating everyone in our community with respect and dignity to the full extent of our power.
This story was originally published by Jeff Tavss and Mythili Gubbi with the Scripps News Group in Salt Lake City.
