A father of five from the Northwest Bronx who had been reportedly arrested and detained by federal government agents in early February was released from custody on Saturday, May 9, according to Hands Off NYC, the self-described coalition of “over 200 labor unions, faith leaders, and community groups standing together in nonviolent resistance, dedicated to protecting New York City.” As reported, ICE had been observed by residents in different sections of The Bronx in early February.

 

Durga Sreenivasan of Hands Off NYC told Norwood News on Saturday the unnamed father of five was released from federal custody earlier that day, having been arrested and detained months earlier. “Really great news I want to share with you to give people hope,” she said.

 

FEDERAL ARREST ON Hull Avenue, Norwood, May 6, 2026 V1 Video obtained from a source by Norwood News

FEDERAL ARREST ON Hull Avenue, Norwood, The Bronx, May 6, 2026 V2 Video obtained by Norwood News from a source.

Sreenivasan highlighted that such business canvassing and getting to know neighbors is “just as crucial to keeping the community safe.” She added, “In this case, [it] led neighbors to identify the man and offer support. Because of our coalition partners, we were able to connect them with a lawyer,” she said. “Without them, we would’ve never gotten in touch with the family and helped them connect with legal aid.”

 

Sreenivasan went on to describe a complex legal battle that required securing representation in two different jurisdictions. “When someone is moved to a different state, a cruel tactic often used by ICE, families must find a lawyer in both New York and in the state where they are being detained, a state that he had no local guardian or family members [in],” she said. She added that New York lawyer, Vichal Kumar, was particularly helpful.

 

“Behind the scenes, finding a lawyer is hard,” Sreenivasan continued. “Once I posted a call for a lawyer on social media, advocates and I found one willing to do the work pro bono [within] 24 hours. After one month of working with the lawyers, we were able to get [the father of five] back,” she said.

She continued, “At a time when mutual aid resources are stretched thin, I am happy to help connect affected neighbors with mutual aid and legal services in a personal capacity, as an advocate, and friends in our coalition are willing to be tapped in, as needed.” She added that Hands Off NYC focuses on preventative work and training neighbors. She said coalition partners have helped several people get released from ICE custody to date.

Sreenivasan hopes the success of the latest release encourages others to speak out and seek help. “I think that could be really impactful to show people that there are things we can do,” she said. “We have resources, and as a child of immigrants, I’m more than willing to give myself as a resource to anybody reading your piece and say that if they need legal help and support, I will personally help find it for them.”

 

She also encouraged residents to join the coalition’s efforts and help prevent “kidnappings.” She added, “They can join Hands Off to do business canvassing. Each of the kidnappings last week [was] in front of a business, so if these business owners knew what to do, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Any store owners who may have footage of the kidnappings, please continue to share, so we can support the legal cases of those kidnapped.”

Norwood News asked Sreenivasan for her views on the current atmosphere in The Bronx following recent ICE raids. “People are wildly scared because of how untrained and lawless ICE is,” she said. “Everyone on the street, business owners, no one is happy because ICE is here. They’re taking good people, hard-working people. At the same time, numerous volunteers are stepping up to canvass businesses and train in both prevention and response, bringing hope to the neighborhood. We’d love to welcome any residents who want to join us.”

 

For those seeking help or looking to get involved, Sreenivasan provided the following resources:

 

If you see ICE, call the NYC Hotline: 229-304-8720
Join Hands Off as an individual: Join at handsoffnyc.com/getinvolved
Bronx residents: Email durga@handsoffnyc.com / Intagram @durganyc

 

 

In the videos Norwood News obtained, the trio do not appear to run away or resist arrest. More agents arrive and proceed to grab Concepción, drag him facedown on the sidewalk, seemingly pinning his arms behind his back and cuffing him, before later placing him in a nearby vehicle.

 

In an interview with CBS news, Concepción’s grandmother had said, “He had never been through something like this.” Meanwhile, Concepción, who was seen on camera with a large gash to his face, and reportedly required stitches, reportedly said that when the detaining ICE agents looked at his phone and checked his ID, they realized he was not who they were looking for.

 

A third person was also seemingly arrested by federal agents at the Citgo gas station on Webster Avenue on May 6. Norwood News spoke to employees at the gas station but they were not present at the time of the arrest. More to follow.

 

Norwood News reached out to both DHS and ICE to ask for the reason for the detention of those arrested, including the father of five, and for a comment on the injury to Concepción. A DHS spokesperson responded on the misidentification of Concepción, saying, “DHS is NOT arresting U.S. citizens by mistake.” [Norwood News did not say it was. We asked DHS broadly about the details of the respective arrests / detainment, and for a comment on the injury to Concepción.]

A man is arrested by federal agents at the Citgo gas station on Webster Avenue in  Norwood on May 6, 2026. Video courtesy of Hands Off NYC.

The statement continued, “DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.”

 

The statement continued, “This individual [Concepción] was NOT arrested by ICE. On May 6, ICE law enforcement was conducting a targeted enforcement operation when they encountered an individual who matched the physical description of the target outside of the target’s residence.”

 

The statement continued, “When law enforcement approached the individual, he became combative and refused to identify himself. A large crowd of anti-ICE agitators descended and swarmed officers. For their safety, they temporarily detained the individual to safely finish asking their questions. Once officers finished their questioning, he was promptly released.”

 

The statement continued, “A crowd of anti-ICE agitators formed.” [Around six people, including Concepción’s two companions and some other people who appeared to be just bystanders on the street, are seen in the video during the incident.] “ICE law enforcement, for their safety and the individual’s safety, left the scene and moved to a nearby location once officers identified the individual was not the target.”

 

The other people did not appear to do anything that placed the ICE agents in danger though there is no sound in the video we obtained so we cannot hear what is being said.

 

On the same day as the incident involving Concepción, another man was also arrested by ICE agents on Decatur Avenue (parallel with Hull Avenue) located between East Gun Hill Road and East 209th Street.

Norwood News spoke to Daedae on Decatur Avenue on Sunday, May 9, and asked for his thoughts on the arrest on Decatur of that second man on May 6. “It was definitely wrong,” he said. “They chased him. They wasn’t even sure. They asked him for no ID. They was just hurting people.”

 

Daedae said he first saw the second man running down Gun Hill Road from the direction of Hull Avenue being chased by ICE agents and that he then turned into Decatur Avenue. “I seen them running, chasing him,” he said in part. “He was running from up the block.” Gesturing to one of the buildings on Decatur, he said, “He stopped there to go in the building and the building was locked, and then they pulled out their guns, aimed it at him, he put his hands up, got on the floor, was tryin’ to get on the floor, and they still tackled him. They started punching him and it’s like big ass [inaudible].”

 

Asked if the agents had their guns out while they were chasing the man, Daedae said, “They had their guns out chasing him, then they put it away ’cause they had to catch up to him, then they pulled up to him and they pulled it back out again.” Asked for his thoughts on ICE activity in the area, he said, “It’s crazy; they need to go. We don’t, we don’t need them.”

 

He continued, “There’s people that have been here for 20 years, 30 years, and they’re trying to take them. They’ve been here for their whole life. They grew up here, so it’s like it’s [inaudible] not legal. It’s crazy.” Again, Norwood News is unable to verify why the arrest was made as DHS has not answered our questions, insisting that we provide further information on the incident before responding.

Asked if he felt elected officials were doing enough to support immigrants and people who are being potentially unlawfully targeted by ICE, Daedae said, “No, they’re not. They need to get ICE out of here.”

 

We mentioned that many elected officials have been sharing fliers and organizing informational workshops which aim to educate immigrants, business owners, and others on what their rights are. We asked if he thought this was useful. Daedae said, “It’s not ’cause the government still don’t care about our rights. They still violate our rights so it doesn’t matter. We don’t have no rights, especially in New York City.”

 

On May 5, at a conference in Arizona, “Border Tzar” Tom Honan, a former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had said, “What’s going to happen with places like New York and these other people that want to pass this ridiculous legislation not to work with us, we’ll going to flood the zone, You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen before, so congratulations because when we send these teams out there, we’ll find the bad guy [inaudible/ ’cause we always do?] and when we find the bad guy and he’s with others, others who may not be the primary target, but they’re in the country illegally but we find them during these operations.” He added in part, “You’re going to see collateral vests increasing. You’ll see more agents in your neighborhood.”

Norwood News mentioned to Daedae about the “New York for All” pending legislation at State level that, if passed, would create more protections for immigrants in New York State and how Honan had specifically stated on May 5, the day before the arrests, that if passed, federal agents would surge New York with even more ICE agents.

ICE arrest on Decatur Avenue, Norwood, The Bronx, May 6, 2026. Video obtained by Norwood News from a source.

Asked if in light of this information, he had a different view, Daedae said, “Just get ICE out of here. We don’t need them. Like, you’re [the federal government] trying to force it like it seems better, but it’s not better…..y’all arrestin’ people that doesn’t even need to get arrested. These people is no harm to nobody.”

 

We put it to Daedae that some Americans and residents do feel that ICE is needed because there are some undocumented people who are committing crimes and asked for his thoughts on that. He said, “There are but why are y’all not going after them [inaudible]. They’re going after all the individuals. It doesn’t even make sense going after even people that got petty crimes. Why would you go after them? There’s New Yorkers with worse crimes. Now, let’s be real. Going after people with petty crimes is crazy.”

 

Asked if he generally carried ID, Daedae said he did. “I only carry ID ’cause I’m a driver and they made it mandatory for drivers in New York City to carry the license, and I don’t carry ID ’cause the streets. I don’t care about that but because the cops want to see if it’s a good license, so that’s why I carry it,” he said.

 

Daedae continued, “You don’t need to carry ID on you. We shouldn’t have to. We’re not in a state of panic or anything. Why do we need to show anybody who we are, what we’re doing or committed a crime. We’re not doing nothin’. Why we showin’ who we are? Why would you need to identify yourself? It doesn’t even make sense.”

 

In response to the Hull and Decatur Avenue incidents, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security inspector, General Joseph Cuffari, urging his office to open a formal investigation into what he said were two deeply troubling videos documenting violent actions by ICE agents in the Norwood section of the Bronx.

 

He said in part, “The videos show the brutal detention of Jeury Concepción, an American citizen, and a second incident in which ICE agents forcefully detained another individual [the person detained on Decatur Avenue] as he attempted to enter a building.” He said both incidents had sent shockwaves through the Norwood community and raised urgent questions about the conduct and accountability of federal immigration enforcement agents.

 

 

Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigations released its report on July 24, 2024 into the death of Bronxite, Kyle Lockett, 21, who was fatally shot by police on Nov. 3, 2022 at Hull Avenue and East Gun Hill Road in Norwood. Police said the shooting occurred at 11.20 a.m. as members of the Queens Warrant Squad were in an unmarked police vehicle in front of 330 Gun Hill Road, a bodega, grocery store. Police said at the time they were there investigating an unrelated incident. Read more on the shooting here, here, here, here and here.

 

In November 2024, police released photos of two people sought in relation to an unrelated shooting also on Hull Avenue close to East Gun Hill Road in Norwood.

 

As reported, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined formerly detained Marble Hill high school student Dylan Josue Lopez Contreras, his mother, lawyers, New York Legal Assistance Group, and advocates on Thursday, March 19, in Manhattan to welcome him back to New York City following his release from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania run by ICE.

 

Dylan, 20, had been detained there for nearly 10 months after his highly publicized courthouse arrest outside a scheduled immigration hearing at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan last May.

 

Read more of our recent reporting on ICE-related activity in The Bronx here, here, here. here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

 

Norwood News is continuing to attempt to reach those detained for comment. We will share any further updates we receive.

 

On Monday, May 11, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) filed a complaint against the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) for failing to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on how immigration judges make bond determinations.