Washington, August 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian-American Congressman Suhas Subramanyam and five other US lawmakers have sought an FBI investigation and a Justice Department civil rights review into an encounter in which a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent allegedly pointed a gun at a US citizen in Northern Virginia.
The lawmakers opened an investigation into the August 10 encounter involving Carolina Molina in Bailey’s Crossroads, Falls Church, and have asked the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to respond by August 31.
Molina, a licensed professional counsellor, was leaving a shopping centre where she conducts mental health assessments for immigration clients when unmarked vehicles allegedly blocked her car from the front and rear. Masked federal agents then surrounded the vehicle, with one agent pointing a firearm at her, according to video of the encounter.
In the video, the agent accused Molina of nearly running over the officers and threatened to arrest her. Molina denied the allegation and told the agent that she was a US citizen.
The congressional letter said the available videos did not show Molina attempting to run over or otherwise endanger the ICE personnel. The lawmakers also questioned the Department of Homeland Security’s description of Molina as an “anti-ICE agitator” who allegedly “weaponised” her vehicle against officers.
Subramanyam, whose Virginia district includes Molina’s community, said lawmakers would pursue accountability and that the agent involved should explain his actions before Congress.
The letter was also signed by Virginia Representatives Don Beyer and James Walkinshaw, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin.
The lawmakers have sought the identities and positions of the agents involved, their vehicle-stop training records and disciplinary histories, along with complete and unedited body-camera, cellphone and vehicle footage.
They also cited ICE directives requiring agents to use force only when no reasonably effective and safe alternative exists and to activate body-worn cameras at the beginning of enforcement activity.
Molina said the incident left her fearing for her life. “Don’t trust anything, and just move carefully,” she said when asked what advice she would give others following the encounter.
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