A U.S. marshal was mistakenly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Arizona, officials said Friday.
The deputy marshal was briefly detained in the lobby of a federal building in Tucson because he “fit the general description of a subject being sought by ICE,” according to a statement from a U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson shared with NBC News on Friday. It is not clear when the incident took place.
“The Deputy US Marshal’s identity was quickly confirmed by other law enforcement officers, and he exited the building without incident,” said U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Colleen Grayman.
The U.S. Marshals Service did not provide additional details or identify the deputy marshal who was detained.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which ICE operates under, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this week, ICE agents made the most immigrant arrests in a single day, detaining more than 2,200 people Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the arrests and an ICE spokesperson who confirmed the numbers, as the agency responds to pressure from the White House to rapidly and dramatically increase arrests.
