‘Are you Haitian?’—then things got worse

In a scene that feels ripped from a procedural drama, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Scott Thomas Deisseroth42, was pulled off a Florida Keys highway in August 2025 while deputies were driving erratically over the Seven Mile Bridge with his two young sons in the truck — and body-camera footage reveals a confrontation that turned from a simple DUI stop into a forceful arrest and viral controversy.

MPs from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Around 3:24 a.m. on Aug. 13, multiple calls were dispatched to reports of a pickup weaving between lanes, crossing into oncoming traffic, and nearly colliding on U.S. Highway 1 near Bahia Honda.

When deputies pulled up to the truck near mile marker 36.5, they immediately noticed the odor of alcohol and two children, ages 7 and 9, in the back seat.

‘Are you Haitian?’: Agent questions deputy’s nationality during stop

The encounter was already tense from the first words captured on bodycam. Deisseroth identified himself as an ICE agent based in Miami, said he was trying to get home with his boys, and insisted that his federal status dictated how deputies should be treated. When asked about his Department of Homeland Security credentials, he did not have them on hand.

Things escalated when deputies asked him to perform a standardized field sobriety exercise. In the footage, Deisseroth repeatedly challenges Stop, asking “Are you Haitian?” About one of the deputies — a moment that has become the focal point of national attention on race, privilege and prejudice.

Deputies insist that nationality has no bearing on operations, but Deisseroth presses the question several times, implying that a deputy’s background should affect how the situation is handled.

Struggled sobriety test and plead to custody

The video shows Deiseroth struggling with basic coordination tasks like walking in a straight line and sending numbers. At one point he falls and stumbles, prompting deputies to question how much he’s been drinking.

He claims “About four drinks,” But he cannot clearly describe what he drank, and his speech and motor skills appear to be impaired.

When deputies tried to arrest him for DUI and child endangerment — charges bolstered by the presence of his children in the vehicle — Deisseroth resisted, at times refusing to move toward the patrol car and yelling at them.

He expresses fear of losing custody of his children, says he is in the middle of a divorce, and continues to rail against the officers despite being handcuffed.

After his arrest, his children have been handed over to their mother Florida Department of Children and Families Cases of potential child endangerment were notified as required. Deisseroth was booked into the Monroe County Jail on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and resisting without violence.

Accountability, probation, and early exit bids

The case drew national headlines not only for the actual body-cam footage, but for questions raised about accountability and privilege when a federal law enforcement officer is a suspect.

An ICE spokesperson reportedly said that all employees are held to the agency’s high standards, and that the matter will be appropriately addressed following an investigation. At the time the footage was released, Deiseroth remained on administrative leave pending the outcome of that review.

In late 2025, Deiseroth pleaded no contest to a DUI charge. On Oct. 30, he was sentenced to one year of probation and had his driver’s license revoked for the same period.

Prosecutors declined to pursue child neglect and resisting arrest charges. That decision drew sharp criticism from some legal observers and social commentators. But that’s not all.

In early 2026, Deiseroth’s defense team filed a motion asking a judge to end his probation early, noting that he had complied with all conditions and voluntarily participated in substance-abuse treatment through Veterans Affairs programs. A decision on that proposal was not released until mid-January.

Meanwhile, the body-cam clip continues to circulate widely, igniting a debate about how law enforcement is held to account and becoming the next chapter in a broader discussion about ICE conduct, racial profiling, and public trust in police agencies.

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Sources: WPEC, NBC 6 South Florida, Florida Keys Weekly Newspaper

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