American family ICE raid: U.S.-Citizen Family in Oklahoma Traumatized by Mistaken ICE Raid
A U.S.-citizen family in Oklahoma was left traumatized after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided their home in search of someone else. The agents had a search warrant for the home, but the suspects listed on the warrant were not living in the house anymore.
The Raid
About 20 armed agents busted through the door in the middle of the night, catching the family off guard. The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous and was referred to by the pseudonym “Marisa” in reporting, said it was dark and the lights were off, and her initial thought was that they were being robbed. “My initial thought was we were being robbed — that my daughters, being females, were being kidnapped,” she said.
Still on American family ICE raid
Identification of Agents
The men who entered her home identified themselves as federal agents with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, the U.S. Marshals Service later clarified that they were not involved in the incident.
Explanation from Authorities
A senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed that ICE carried out “a court-authorized search warrant for a large-scale human smuggling investigation,” involving eight Guatemalan nationals indicted in a federal case in the Northern District of Oklahoma. The official explained that the search warrants included the location of an address where U.S. citizens recently moved, and the previous residents were the intended targets.
Impact on the Family
The mother and her daughters, who had recently moved from Maryland to Oklahoma City, were shocked and frightened by the raid. The agents confiscated their belongings, including phones, laptops, and all their cash savings, as “evidence.” The mother pleaded with the agents, saying, “We didn’t do anything. We weren’t criminals. They were treating us like criminals.”
Treatment During the Raid
The mother alleged that the agents ordered her and her daughters to step outside, even though it was raining and they barely had time to put on clothes. She said one of the agents asked her to change in front of them, which she found denigrating. The mother added that one of the agents later acknowledged that the raid was “a little rough,” but she felt that this was an understatement.
Aftermath
The family was left traumatized by the experience, and the mother said they would need help to get over it. The agents took their belongings, and it may take days or even months to get them back. The mother asked, “How do you just leave me like this? Like an abandoned dog.” DHS did not comment on the mother’s account of the raid.
Conclusion
The mistaken raid has raised concerns about the actions of ICE agents and the impact on innocent families. The incident highlights the need for greater oversight and accountability in the execution of search warrants, particularly when it involves U.S. citizens who are not suspects in any investigation.
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