A screenshot from a video posted to social media Thursday shows federal agents arresting a man in Christiansted on St. Croix. March 19 | 9:15 p.m. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett confirmed an immigration enforcement action by border patrol agents with the U.S. Homeland Security Department as part of “an initiative allegedly targeting individuals with criminal records” on St. Croix. “I am deeply concerned by these enforcement actions and the manner in which they were carried out,” she said in a statement Thursday night. “Regardless of the stated purpose of any federal initiative, I want to be clear: all agents — regardless of their designation — must treat our residents with dignity and respect.” Plaskett urged Virgin Islands residents to know their rights and said her website has information available in English, Haitian Creole and Spanish to help people understand what protections they have during encounters with law enforcement and federal agents. People who have had “concerning interactions” with federal law enforcement or who need assistance were encouraged to contact her office. “Regardless of immigration status, you have constitutional protections,” she said. “I want to remind everyone in the community that in the United States, being present in the country without the appropriate documentation is a civil matter, not a criminal one.” March 19 | 7:58 p.m. Videos posted online Thursday morning and shared widely on social media captured masked federal agents making multiple arrests in the parking lot of Jiffy Mart, a popular market on King Street in Christiansted. In part of one video, posted by the Virgin Islands Consortium, four agents can be seen subduing a man who was facedown on the pavement, and one agent appeared to have his knee on the man’s head and neck. Agents then walked him to a dark, unmarked car. Another video posted Thursday appeared to show agents detaining people in Frederiksted. According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement document outlining authorized uses of force, “choke holds, carotid control holds and other neck restraints” are “specifically prohibited” unless used in a situation warranting deadly force. A January ProPublica investigation highlighted more than 40 instances of ICE agents using prohibited restraints in the previous year — including 20 involving choke holds and other neck restraints — across the United States. V.I. Police Department spokesperson Glen Dratte told the Source Thursday that the arrests were strictly carried out by Homeland Security officers. The Source was unable to reach ICE’s public relations officer despite multiple messages and calls to the agency’s field office in San Juan, which also oversees the U.S. Virgin Islands. Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, one employee said they didn’t know who would be able to answer questions and hung up the phone when asked about their own position at the agency. The U.S. Homeland Security Department has been roundly criticized for its large-scale deployments of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents to cities across the country. In Minneapolis, agents shot and killed two citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — who were protesting the agency’s campaign of mass arrest and deportation. “They said they were going to deport serious criminals, but that’s not what’s happening,” former Sen. Samuel Carrion wrote on social media Thursday. “The People being arrested are workers, parents, and likely longtime members of our community. These actions are creating labor shortages, hurting families, creating fear, and weakening trust.” Carrion called on Virgin Islanders to support impacted families. “What we witnessed today is truly heartbreaking,” he said. “A man on the ground with multiple ICE officers on top of him, including what appeared to be a knee on his neck. Regardless of immigration status, every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and without excessive force. There must be accountability and transparency in how enforcement is carried out in our community.” Government House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.