The incident, which occurred Wednesday in Nadler’s office at 201 Varick Street, involved officers from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service. According to video obtained by Gothamist, one female aide was handcuffed in the hallway by agents while another staffer attempted to block their entry into a private area of the office. The agents claimed they were responding to reports that protesters were being sheltered inside.
One agent in the video can be heard saying, “We have the right to check. You are harboring rioters in the office.” The staffer eventually allowed the officers into the back room following the tense exchange, reports the New York Post.
Homeland Security officials said the officers were conducting a security check after reports of suspicious activity related to nearby demonstrations.
“Based on earlier incidents in a nearby facility, FPS officers were concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office and went to the location to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those present,” DHS said in a statement.
The department added that the aide who was detained had become “verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office,” and was held only long enough to complete the security sweep.
Nadler, who represents New York’s 12th congressional district, denounced the action.
“President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are sowing chaos in our communities, using intimidating tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner,” he said in a statement to Politico. “If this can happen in a Member of Congress’s office, it can happen to anyone — and it is happening.”
He said the episode was part of a wider pattern of federal overreach under Trump.
“The Trump administration is trying to intimidate members of Congress,” Nadler told The New York Times. “They’re behaving like fascists. We have to fight them. We don’t want to be a fascist country.”
According to reports, the confrontation began when a Nadler staffer allowed two advocates monitoring immigration proceedings at the nearby federal courthouse to enter the office.
