Terror in Times Square: Chilean Tourist Dragged from Daughter by ICE as Crowd Looks On in Horror

In a now-viral video, a Chilean woman is forcefully separated from her 12-year-old child and taken away by immigration officers as New York City locals and tourists watch in horror and disbelief. The kicker? She was visiting the US as a tourist and had not committed a crime. Footage of the incident has raised concerns about tourist safety amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. The mother's horrific experience is not a unique situation, with an increasing number of tourists facing similar hardships due to bureaucratic mishaps, overpolicing and cut-throat anti-immigration measures.

Mother-Daughter Trip is Ruined By A Horrifying Wrongful Arrest

Javiera Montero's ordeal began when her daughter was knocked over while they were walking past a confrontation between law enforcement and suspects. When she asked the police for help, she was detained by the NYPD and ICE despite having committed no crime.

The viral video of the incident shows the Chilean national being pressed against a lamppost by an officer as she begs to be released: 'Please, it hurts a lot,' Montero can be heard saying. 'My daughter is there, my daughter is there.'

As Montero is dragged away, she continues to plead for her daughter, who is held by bystander Ricardo 'Luss' Migaglioni.

'My daughter! My daughter!' Montero screams as she is forced away and towards the officers' vehicle. 'No, I can't leave her alone!' she adds, panicking. 'Let go of me! Let go of me! My daughter!'

Montero struggles to turn towards her daughter before she is taken, but Migaglioni tries to reassure her, saying, 'Calm down, I've got her,' in Spanish.

Despite his efforts, the mother can still be heard yelling reassurances unintelligibly at her daughter as she is forced into the car.

'Officer, this is her daughter,' Migaglioni calls out to the officers handling Montero, but is ignored.

As Montero is driven away, her daughter stands hand-in-hand with Migaglioni, crying, carrying shopping bags—the image of a happy afternoon shopping abroad, in tatters.

Bystander Who Stepped Up Reveals Key Details of the Incident

Meanwhile, songwriter and teacher Migaglioni was on his way to his home in the Bronx when he came upon the scene.

'I remember that as I walked towards the train, I saw people running, many policemen running,' he explained to BioBioChile. '[...] Just then, I saw Javiera. The officers just showed up and took her with a lot of force; she fell to the ground. While that was happening, I saw a small girl on the side, crying very hard and looking at Javiera.'

Migaglioni claims that when he saw how scared the little girl was, he did not hesitate to assist the family. Though he wasn't arrested for his interference, he reports being mistreated and being pushed in the chest by an officer. Still, the New Yorker remained calm.

'My focus was on the girl,' Migaglioni explained. 'Because I thought: "If I react, they'll arrest me as well." And then, that girl... I don't know what would've happened to her if something had happened to me, too. I felt I was the only person worried about the safety of that girl in that moment.'

Migaglioni handled everything—he found out where Montero was being taken and in which station she would be held. Montera was reportedly detained for eight hours, and her daughter remained with Migaglioni until they were allowed to reunite in an undisclosed station.

Montero's wrongful arrest and her child's traumatic separation are, unfortunately, not isolated tragedies. When immigration authorities suspected German tattoo artist Jessica Brösche, 26, of working illegally, they held her in solitary confinement for over a week. With similar cases climbing, the international community is collectively reconsidering their desire to travel to the US, never mind build a life in it. As these cases mount, one question remains—will the US prioritise Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and activity, or safeguard its tourism industry?