{"id":5355,"date":"2026-07-19T04:29:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T04:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/19\/australian-man-detained-by-ice-in-los-angeles-after-earlier-arrest-attempt-in-las-vegas\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T04:29:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T04:29:52","slug":"australian-man-detained-by-ice-in-los-angeles-after-earlier-arrest-attempt-in-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5355","title":{"rendered":"Australian man detained by ICE in Los Angeles after earlier arrest attempt in Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"cab89dcf-0c92-4730-aabd-3eff5bf98cc6\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Picture of people walking in front of a 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign at Harry Reid international airport\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/d48e4c65dbd0a0da89c4c09677e624f5408b45fb\/265_0_4387_3509\/master\/4387.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.9364030088899\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Phu Nguyen, believed to be an Australian citizen, was detained in Los Angeles by ICE after agents attempted earlier to arrest him in Las Vegas.<\/span> Photograph: Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"cab89dcf-0c92-4730-aabd-3eff5bf98cc6\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Phu Nguyen, believed to be an Australian citizen, was detained in Los Angeles by ICE after agents attempted earlier to arrest him in Las Vegas.<\/span> Photograph: Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Australian man detained by ICE in Los Angeles after earlier arrest attempt in Las Vegas<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Footage shows Phu Nguyen, 57, being partially handcuffed by plainclothes agents in a Las Vegas airport terminal<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Get our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">breaking news email<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/app.adjust.com\/w4u7jx3\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">free app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/series\/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">daily news podcast<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">An man believed to be an Australian citizen has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ICE<\/a>) after bystanders interrupted an earlier attempt by agents to detain him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">ICE Los Angeles said Phu Nguyen, 57, originally of Vietnam, had overstayed his visa, in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Chris Motley, a film-maker, posted footage on social media of an attempted arrest at Harry Reid international airport in Las Vegas on Monday, saying he had heard a cry for help as he walked through the terminal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"86e9f4b7-885c-4f8c-ab54-ed0e55eb5cd9\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/17\/ice-arrests-human-rights-lawyer-wu-shaoping-fled-chinese-crackdown\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">ICE arrests human rights lawyer who fled Chinese crackdown<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The footage shows Nguyen shouting while a man and a woman wearing surgical masks held him to the ground and handcuffed him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Nguyen said in the video.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">An airport security officer stood between Nguyen and a growing crowd of bystanders before the two people stood up and walked away, leaving handcuffs dangling from one of Nguyen\u2019s wrists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWhere are they going?\u201d Nguyen said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"ebde6297-b375-467e-b92c-7e994f9e3ac7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.LinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-link-name=\"standard link button Primary\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/email-newsletters?CMP=copyembed&amp;CMP=emailbutton\" class=\"dcr-rh233e\"><span class=\"dcr-1vp4tz8\">Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/span><\/a><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Motley wrote on Instagram that police arrived shortly afterwards but Nguyen was partially handcuffed for over an hour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThe man was checked out by a medical team before boarding his flight, thankfully he was OK and able to catch it,\u201d Motley said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">ICE Los Angeles, in its post on X, claimed \u201cagitators\u201d had tried to help Nguyen \u201cevade ICE officers at Las Vegas airport\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It said Nguyen was taken into custody on Tuesday after he landed in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security, said that ICE officers had attempted to arrest Nguyen, whom they described as an \u201cillegal alien and citizen of Australia \u2026 born in Vietnam\u201d, at Las Vegas airport on 13 July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAs officers attempted to arrest Nguyen, a crowd of anti-ICE agitators surrounded officers,\u201d they claimed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The spokesperson said officials did not proceed with the arrest \u201cto de-escalate the situation and for officer safety\u201d, but chose instead to arrest Nguyen \u201cat his flight the following day departing the Los Angeles international airport\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-16\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-16\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The spokesperson said the man had entered the US on a legal visa in May 2013 with permission to remain until May 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cNguyen refused to depart in violation of our nation\u2019s laws. He will receive full due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Democratic senator Jacky Rosen, of Nevada, condemned the agency\u2019s \u201cviolent attempted arrest of an elderly man\u201d in posts on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">She wrote: \u201cPlain clothes. No uniforms. No body cameras. No identification. ICE is continuing to act with impunity \u2013 instilling fear in our communities and scaring tourists, which hurts our tourism economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Australia\u2019s department of foreign affairs and trade said it was making urgent inquiries after reports that an Australian citizen had been detained in the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">While the department can provide consular assistance to any Australian citizen, it cannot get Australians out of prison.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">US officials are facing mounting calls to force ICE off American streets after agents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/15\/remove-ice-us-streets-joan-sebastian-duran-guerrero-lorenzo-salgado-araujo\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">killed two men<\/a> who were not the target of enforcement action in less than a week. There <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/15\/man-dies-georgia-ice-detention\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">have been 22 deaths<\/a> in ICE custody in 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a post on X on Friday, top US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer criticised Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump\u2019s administration<\/a> for its mass hiring of ICE officers to enforce aims of mass deportation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun \u2013 and Republicans gave this rogue agency vast power and no accountability,\u201d Schumer wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/usimmigration\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Australian%20man%20detained%20by%20ICE%20in%20Los%20Angeles%20after%20earlier%20arrest%20attempt%20in%20Las%20Vegas&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2026\/jul\/18\/australian-man-detained-ice-los-angeles-arrest-attempt-las-vegas-airport?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Faustralia-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F18%2Faustralian-man-detained-ice-los-angeles-arrest-attempt-las-vegas-airport&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=australia-news\/2026\/jul\/18\/australian-man-detained-ice-los-angeles-arrest-attempt-las-vegas-airport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phu Nguyen, believed to be an Australian citizen, was detained in Los Angeles by ICE after agents attempted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}