Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Northern Virginia Representative Don Beyer, Ranking Members Jamie Raskin and Bennie Thompson, Oversight Committee Representatives Suhas Subramanyam and James Walkinshaw, opened an investigation into an encounter in Falls Church, Virginia, during which a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent pointed a gun directly at Carolina Molina, a U.S. citizen and Northern Virginia resident, apparently without justification. The lawmakers sought answers and a full investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and review by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, and demanded that the ICE agents involved in the encounter be placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation and review.

What happened to Carolina Molina cannot be dismissed as an ordinary interaction between ICE and a member of the public. We therefore request that the FBI conduct a formal investigation into this incident, and that the DOJ Civil Rights Division evaluates those findings. We also request that DHS immediately preserve all records related to this encounter – including body-worn camera footage, cellphone and vehicle footage, use of force and incident reports, and internal communications,” wrote the Members.

Video footage recorded by Carolina Molina on August 10 shows unmarked vehicles blocking her car from the front and rear before masked ICE agents approach her. One agent then draws his firearm and points it directly at Ms. Molina. The agent is then heard accusing her of “following” and “recording” the agents before subsequently accusing her of attempting to run them over and threatening her with arrest—an accusation that is not supported by the available footage, which shows no attempt by Ms. Molina to run over or otherwise endanger the agents.