Dem nominee for Congress says she was shoved to ground by officer at anti-ICE protest 3:05

A woman who is about to appear on the November ballot for a New York House seat says a city police officer knocked her down while she was at a demonstration against immigration enforcement. Darializa Avila Chevalier, who describes herself politically as a Democratic socialist, holds her party's nomination in New York's 13th congressional district after unseating an incumbent who had served four terms, according to CNN.

CNN reports that her account of being pushed to the pavement by a New York City police officer came during a protest connected to federal immigration agents. The demonstration took place in the same district where, earlier in the week, an ICE shooting occurred. The network's coverage, published on Friday, October 9, 2026, centers on her description of the encounter rather than on any independent confirmation of it.

The episode puts a spotlight on the relationship between local police and people protesting federal immigration operations, and it does so in a district already dealing with the aftermath of the shooting. Avila Chevalier's claim is that an officer used physical force against her personally, even though she is a nominee for Congress.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →