A woman from Washington, D.C., who was found not guilty after being accused of assaulting ICE officers during an immigration operation, claims a recording from her phone captured agents discussing how to explain the encounter.
The report focuses on Sidney Lori Reid who was arrested in July 2025 outside the D.C. jail after filming officers while they transferred two men into federal immigration custody, per Raw Story.
The Justice Department stated at the time that Reid, 44, faced charges related to an assault on an FBI agent who was working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
In a July 23, 2025, press release, prosecutors said Reid ignored repeated instructions to step back, tried to move between the officers and one of the men being moved, and injured an FBI agent’s hand during the incident.
WOMAN GETS DETAINED BY ICE, SAME ICE AGENT STEALS HER PHONE AND INFORMATION, STALKS HER FOR A DATE WHEN SHES RELEASED
ICE AGENT SAYS SHE LOOKS “cute” and “obiedent”
THIS IS WHAT IS GOING DOWN IN Ice Detention and why I believe they are trafficking young girls.
Keep talking,… pic.twitter.com/SbAcqeXBmG
— Donald J. Trumpstein fake (@realtrumpstein) March 17, 2026
However, later reports raised questions about this account as The Wall Street Journal noted that video reviewed by the paper showed Reid recording the operation before officers arrested her.
Raw Story mentioned that her phone continued recording even after agents took it, placed it in her bag, and then put the bag in a government vehicle. Reid told the Journal, “If I didn’t have the video, I would 100% be in jail right now.”
The recording captured agents discussing how Reid had allegedly assaulted them. The report indicated that the officers debated what had happened, with one story mentioning a raised knee and another mentioning an elbow, before the criminal complaint claimed that Reid had “forcefully” pushed an agent’s hand against a cement wall.
Raw Story stated that Reid viewed this conversation as critical to her defense against a charge that could have resulted in significant prison time.
UNARMED WOMAN: “Shame on you.”
ICE GOON: “Have you not learned from the past few days?”
UNARMED WOMAN: “Learned what? What’s our lesson?”
ICE GOON: *VIOLENTLY SNATCHES HER PHONE*
(H/T @Mollyploofkins) pic.twitter.com/nKxFiOT77d
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 10, 2026
The prosecution began to falter in court. Reuters reported in August 2025 that federal prosecutors unsuccessfully attempted three times to convince grand juries to indict Reid on a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, which is uncommon in federal court.
Prosecutors then downgraded the case to a misdemeanor. Reid’s lawyers, Tezira Abe and Eugene Ohm, said at the time, “The U.S. Attorney can try to create crimes to silence the people, but in our criminal justice system, the citizens have the last word.”
By October 2025, Reid was acquitted at trial, according to later accounts referenced in coverage of the case. The Journal reported that she was found not guilty after the case continued despite those unsuccessful grand jury attempts.
The case has gained new attention as scrutiny of ICE conduct has increased recently. An Associated Press review published in February highlighted several recent instances involving ICE employees or contractors accused of misconduct, including assault, abuse, and corruption. While this review did not focus on Reid’s case, it documented other situations where authorities alleged misuse of power by immigration personnel.
The recorded conversation is a rare piece of evidence from inside a federal arrest. The Justice Department’s original account and the subsequent reporting now represent two sharply different narratives of what transpired outside the D.C. jail that night.
