DHS says the Almonte ruling "will be litigated in court, not through the media"
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityDepartment of Homeland Security spokesperson, in a statement emailed to Newsweek
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, a DHS spokesperson said the matter will be litigated in court, not through the media.
“This matter will be litigated in court, not through the media.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did ICE agents falsify records and testimony in the Bronx arrests of Angel Almonte and Jeury Concepcion?
On May 6, 2026, ICE agents arrested Angel Almonte, a Dominican immigrant, and Jeury Concepcion, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, in separate arrests in the Bronx. DHS said Concepcion was not arrested by ICE and that it does not arrest citizens by mistake, and government lawyers told a federal court that ICE positively identified Almonte through database checks before issuing his arrest warrant. On October 5, U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown ruled that the misidentification claims were baseless, that ICE issued an after-the-fact warrant containing false information, and that the officers gave false and misleading testimony. The question is whether ICE agents falsified records and testimony to justify the arrests.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Newsweek report on the October 5, 2026 ruling, updated with the Department of Homeland Security's emailed response.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Newsweek reported the October 5 ruling that ICE agents falsified records in the Bronx arrests and published the statement DHS emailed to the outlet.
After the quotation
Newsweek said it also contacted ICE and Almonte's legal team.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether ICE agents falsified records and testimony to justify the arrests of Almonte and Concepcion. DHS says the matter "will be litigated in court, not through the media" and does not address the court's findings, so we used Explicitly stayed out. The closest competing label is Defended or excused, which would fit a defense of the agents; the statement offers none.
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- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseScott Dworkin contrasts DHS's "NOT arrested by ICE" statement with the ruling
“Jeury Concepcion is a US citizen. He was walking to a barbershop. He left with stitches in his head and a government statement saying he "was NOT arrested by ICE." The judge's ruling says otherwise, by name.”Read statement
Federal judge finds ICE agents "falsified official records" in Bronx arrests
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
“The claims of misidentification here prove baseless, the arrests were procedurally deficient and legally invalid, and ICE agents falsified official records trying to conceal their illegal actions, which included significant injury to a U.S. citizen.”Read statement
Government says ICE ran "query checks to positively identify" Almonte before his arrest warrant
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York
“ICE conducted query checks to positively identify the Petitioner, determined that he was not present in the United States with lawful status, and issued a Form I-200, Warrant for Arrest of Alien (the “Arrest Warrant”) at approximately 5:50 p.m.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- DHS says the Almonte ruling "will be litigated in court, not through the media"
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- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5351-in-a-statement-emailed-to-newsweek-a-dhs
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "DHS says the Almonte ruling "will be litigated in court, not through the media"". First published: 2026-10-09. Last updated: 2026-10-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/5351-in-a-statement-emailed-to-newsweek-a-dhs