ICE officer accused of excessive force, then sent back to work despite active probe [View all]
Source: NPR
December 24, 2025 5:00 AM ET
In the span of less than 72 hours, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Victor Mojica went from being widely vilified and placed on administrative leave — to being returned right back to his old job. On a Friday in September, Mojica was caught on several cameras roughly pushing a woman into the hallway and then to the ground, as the woman screamed.
The incident at an immigration court in New York rapidly circulated online and prompted the Homeland Security Department to place Mojica on administrative leave – a rare instance of such leave being publicly announced. By the following Monday, Mojica was back on the job, without any further explanation from the agency.
NPR has now learned that he returned to work before the Homeland Security Department's internal watchdog had concluded a review into his behavior. The DHS Office of Inspector General ultimately decided — nearly two months later — that the incident did not merit a criminal probe.
The disclosure of the probe raises questions about the adequacy of DHS oversight mechanisms to investigate employee misconduct. It comes as the department has gutted some internal oversight agencies and faces consistent pressure from Trump officials to ramp up deportations.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/12/24/nx-s1-5650773/ice-immigration-agent-leave-oversight
REFERENCES
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