US Citizen Handcuffed By ICE Says Agents Refused To Identify Themselves During Stop

A seemingly normal drive to work took a sudden, dramatic turn for one New Yorker.

He ended up in handcuffs on the side of the road, claiming the federal agents involved wouldn’t even tell him who they were.

Pulled Over On The Way To Work

Elzon Lemus, a 23-year-old electrician from Brentwood, New York, was riding in the passenger seat of a car heading towards his job in Westbury.

Suddenly, the vehicle was stopped by agents identified as being from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Lemus recounts the agents saying he “looks like somebody we are looking for.”

According to Lemus, he asked for more specific information about who they were searching for, confident it wasn’t him.

A Standoff Over Identification

What followed was a tense exchange, parts of which were reportedly captured on cellphone video.

Agents requested Lemus’s identification.

“This is going to go one of two ways here. I need to see your ID — if you’re not the guy I’m looking for, you’re not the guy I’m looking for. But we need your ID,” an agent reportedly stated in the video.

Lemus says he asked for the agents’ names and badge numbers, but they declined to provide them, citing they were “not authorized.”

His response? “I told them that I’m not authorized to give my ID then.”

Things escalated when an agent allegedly issued a warning:

“If we don’t get your ID we are going to need to figure out another way to ID you and that may not work out well for you,” the agent reportedly said.

Handcuffed On The Spot

Following his refusal to immediately provide ID, Lemus was placed in handcuffs.

He explained that he was hesitant because he didn’t believe he had committed any crime and recognized they were not local police.

He felt his rights were being disregarded.

Attorney Weighs In

Lemus’s attorney, Fred Brewington, later spoke out regarding the incident.

He argued that stopping individuals based merely on a “hunch” or appearance, especially without clear identification from the agents, raises significant legal questions.

New York State Assemblyman Philip Ramo, a former police detective, also called for an investigation.

The Duration and The Release

Lemus states he remained in handcuffs for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

During this time, agents reportedly confiscated his phone, preventing him from continuing to film.

Eventually, his identification was located in his pockets.

The critical detail emerged:

Elzon Lemus is a United States citizen.

Upon confirming his identity and citizenship, he was released.

Speaking afterward, Lemus described the experience as “heartbreaking” and feeling like his rights were “just out the window.”

He and his attorney are seeking an investigation into the encounter by the Department of Justice, citing concerns about the stop’s justification and the agents’ conduct.