Oklahoma family say they're ‘traumatized for life' after being mistakenly targeted in ICE raid
An Oklahoma mother and her daughters, all U.S. citizens, were reportedly subject to a violent and humiliating raid by federal immigration agents last week, despite allegedly not being the intended targets of the operation.
'It was so denigrating. That you do all of this to a family, to women, your fellow citizens,' the mother, using the pseudonym Marisa, told KFOR of the raid.
'You literally traumatized me and my daughters for life,' she added. 'We're going to have to go get help or get over this somehow.'
Early Thursday morning, a multi-agency team of agents burst into the Oklahoma City rental home where the family had just settled after moving from Maryland, according to Marisa.
The agents demanded the woman and her daughters go outside before they were able to fully change into day clothes, she said.
'They wanted me to change in front of all of them, in between all of them,' Marisa told KFOR. 'My husband has not even seen my daughter in her undergarments—her own dad, because it's respectful. You have her out there, a minor, in her underwear.'
Agents told the family they had a search warrant, though it named an individual who appeared to have been a previous tenant of the home, Marisa said.
Nonetheless, the officers tore through the home and seized phones and much of the woman's life savings in cash as evidence, while declining to leave a business card or give any indication of when she'd get her property back, Marisa said.
'I told them before they left, I said you took my phone. We have no money. I just moved here,' she added in her KFOR interview. 'I have to feed my children. I'm going to need gas money. I need to be able to get around. Like, how do you just leave me like this? Like an abandoned dog.'
The mother said that the agents identified themselves as members of the FBI, the US Marshals, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Marshals denied participating in the raid, while the FBI told the outlet it had assisted on the case.
The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, for comment.
In February, Oklahoma finalized multiple agreements with federal officials to increase cooperation on immigration operations as part of its 'Operation Guardian.'
Multiple U.S. citizens have been mistakenly detained as part of a push from the Trump administration and its allies to increase immigration enforcement.
As part of the crackdown, the Trump administration has also resumed pursuing so-called ' collateral arrests ' of individuals who weren't the intended target of immigration raids but who were nonetheless encountered by officers.
Such arrests were the subject of a 2022 class action settlement, putting strict limitations on how officers use such arrests.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Mapped: the 37 cities where anti-ICE protests have erupted across the US
Los Angeles remains the epicenter of unrest after protests erupted in the wake of a string of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday. Now, demonstrations have been sparked across the country, with dozens reported in at least 21 states since Friday. The first protests followed after crowds attempted to thwart ICE agents' detention efforts in downtown LA last week. The following morning, President Donald Trump caused fresh outrage after deploying the National Guard before eventually mobilizing the U.S. Marines on Monday evening. Dozens of demonstrations have erupted around the country, both in solidarity with the LA protesters and as a form of broader protest against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The Independent has identified anti-ICE protests in at least 37 U.S. cities since Friday, with the majority occurring on Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday, cities across the nation braced for more upheaval. So far, they have been spread across 21 states, with the highest concentrations in California, Texas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. There have been at least 565 arrests so far at various protests, mainly in LA, with 30 people arrested last night in Spokane, Washington, following a significant police response. Further afield, marches also took place on Wednesday in Eugene, Raleigh, St. Louis, San Antonio, Indianapolis, and Seattle. The nationwide demonstrations have varied in size, with some cities reporting dozens or hundreds of protesters. Meanwhile, other areas have seen thousands of protesters take to the streets, with the National Guard called in to two cities and hundreds of arrests made nationwide. Spokane, Washington After a protest Wednesday afternoon outside an ICE office in Spokane, Mayor Lisa Brown imposed a curfew in the city's downtown area running from 9.30 p.m. until 5 a.m. Thursday. More than 30 protesters were arrested, and officers deployed 'pepper balls' on the crowd, according to Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall. Brown told reporters that the curfew is meant to 'protect public safety,' adding that the vast majority of protesters were peaceful Chicago, Illinois Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but Fox News reported that some protesters vandalized police vehicles and were involved in altercations. On Tuesday night, a car ploughed through crowds of protesters in the downtown area. The driver allegedly ignored police attempts to stop the car, according to the network. There have been no reported injuries. Seventeen arrests were made on Wednesday as thousands flooded the streets at Federal Plaza. Four were charged with felonies, including aggravated battery of a police officer. Multiple vehicles were tagged with anti-ICE graffiti. Denver, Colorado Hundreds gathered outside the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Tuesday, according to CBS News, for largely peaceful protests. Reports say that protesters spilled into the streets, but no widespread unrest was reported. Later that evening, Denver Police reportedly used smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Eighteen arrests were made Tuesday, police said. In nearby Aurora, home to Colorado's only ICE detention center, an additional 150 people joined the protest, according to local news reports. New York City Around 20 anti-ICE protesters were also led away by police in New York, following demonstrations in Manhattan on Monday. The following morning, two dozen people were arrested during a sit-in protest at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. Clashes broke out between police and protesters near an ICE office on Tuesday, which saw demonstrators thrown to the ground as police tried to handcuff them. Others lobbed water bottles at officers. The NYPD prepared for further anti-ICE protests Thursday after demonstrators marched from Foley Square before moving down Broadway, and later up to the Manhattan Detention Center. Atlanta, Georgia A rally began on Monday outside the ICE office in Atlanta, with protesters calling for the end of immigration raids and the release of the detained union leader, David Huerta, in California. Hundreds of protesters gathered Tuesday night along Buford Highway in Brookhaven. Many carried signs and chanted in English and Spanish during the march, denouncing the Trump administration's stringent deportation efforts. Officials say that they arrested six people after protesters failed to leave after the rally's designated cut-off point and clashed with law enforcement officials. The protests in LA are expected to enter their seventh day on Thursday. More than 700 Marines awaited deployment in Los Angeles on Thursday, marking the latest escalation of Trump's response to the immigration raid protests. Around 400 people involved in protests have been arrested by the LAPD alone, according to CNN. Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, enforced a curfew for a second night in a portion of downtown LA in response to looting and vandalism, with the Los Angeles Police Department stating that it made 'mass arrests' after the restriction was imposed. The curfew is currently in place from 8.00 p.m. Wednesday to 06:00 a.m. Thursday local time. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate hearing Wednesday that military personnel could be sent to other cities if law enforcement were threatened as protests flare up across the nation.
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
ICE enforcement in LA triggers alarm among school communities
"We are a melting pot of beautiful, incredible people," Enriquez said to the crowd before wiping a tear from his eye. "This incredible community, all of these students, all of these parents, guardians, friends and family, it is because of you that these young people are here ready to go on to that next step - to that high school life, to represent each of us as an incredible member of society." Some families too afraid to attend the graduation out of fear of increased presence of immigration enforcement officials across the city didn't hear the principal's message. They and many other Angeleno immigrants who live in the sanctuary city are foregoing the chance to witness their young loved ones receive diplomas or advance to the next grade at upcoming school graduation ceremonies out of fear of getting deported. "I've spoken with parents who've told me that their daughter would be the first in their family to graduate high school and they're not going to be there to witness it, because they have a fear of the place of graduation being targeted," said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which covers the majority of the city and some surrounding areas of Los Angeles and serves more than a half of a million public school students, during a June 9 news conference. More than one-third of Angelenos are immigrants. ICE detained a Los Angeles fourth grader from Torrance Elementary School and his father in Texas on May 29. They are expected to be deported to Honduras. The young child's deportation has left a wound. "When something like this happens, it shakes all of us in the community," Torrance Elementary PTA volunteer Ria Villanueva told The Los Angeles Times. Homeland security agents attemped to enter two Los Angeles schools in early April, but they were denied entry. Arrests of young people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are happening nationwide in other targeted American communities, such as Milford, Massachusetts, where an 11th grader's arrest and detention by ICE has heightened anxiety among the area's immigrants, and in New York City, where educations officials say ICE have recently arrested and detained two students. "President Trump is keeping his promise to deport illegal aliens and the law enforcement officers conducting operations do so efficiently and professionally," said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, in response to a question from USA TODAY about the Trump administration's enforcement on immigration at and around schools. "Individuals, like the violent rioters in LA, who try to obstruct or deter operations put law enforcement officers and law abiding citizens at risk." The Trump administration's increased immigration enforcement and related protests around LA Unified schools over the last several weeks have put parents, students and school officials on especially high alert. After law enforcement officers deployed flash-bang grenades against protesters near a Los Angeles Unified elementary school campus, the school community went into lockdown on June 6. The tensions have left the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the nation, at the center of the national battle on immigration deportations and family separations. Ahead of future graduation ceremonies in the district, Carvalho said he said he has directed Los Angeles Unified school police to stand at the front lines and "intervene and interfere with any federal agency who may want to take action during these joyous times that we call graduation." What's happening around Los Angeles Unified schools? The Los Angeles families' anxieties come after a series of Trump administration-led anti-immigrant actions in the city, making it a national battleground for President Donald Trump's long-promised crackdown on illegal immigration. President Donald Trump and his administration have deployed thousands of National Guard members to the nation's second-largest city since June 8. The National Guard entered Los Angeles after citizens who were angry about immigration raids in the city, including one at a Home Depot, launched largely peaceful demonstrations against the administration's enforcement of illegal immigration. How did the LA protests begin? A look at the immigration raids that sparked outrage Chaos and violence have since erupted across Los Angeles, resulting in the detainment of some immigrants, destruction of city property and fear and hiding among immigrant families and children of immigrants who attend school across the region. 'President Trump is keeping his promise' California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vehemently objected against the immigration raids and deployment of federal guards, even filing a lawsuit against Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth alleging they deployed "members of the California National Guard, without lawful authority, and in violation of the Constitution." "Instead of focusing on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records and people with final deportation orders - a strategy both parties have long supported - this administration is pushing mass deportations - indiscriminately targeting hardworking, immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk, " Newsom, a Democrat, said in a video posted on Instagram. There's no sign that the immigration raids will end. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on X on June 9 that they will deploy about 700 active duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles "to restore order." Trump has also threatened to arrest Newsom for challenging the federal government. 700 Marines Heading to LA; Newsom calls move 'deranged fantasy' of Trump Federal immigration activity near school campuses threatens a 'fundamental right' A third-grade elementary school teacher in the district, who asked to remain anonymous because she is worried that her school and her students will be targeted by immigration enforcement officials if she is identified, said she has felt deep fear and constant anxiety in her students about them or their families being detained by ICE officials. She said many kids in her classroom whose parents are undocumented immigrants, some of whom are newcomers from Guatemala, are worried about being deported or separated from their families. Their fears have intensified since immigration raids have occurred close to the school. Attendance was unusually low and many school bus stops were eerily quiet during the last two days of school in her classroom on June 9 and 10, she said. "I try to pretend everything's normal when everything's falling apart outside of the school," she said. Her six-year-old son, who attends the same school where she teaches, found about about the immigration raids through friends and told her, "Mom, I'm glad you have papers so they can't take you." Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Carvlaho said in a statement on June 6 that he is "dismayed" by the recent immigration enforcement activity occurring near district schools. "These actions are causing unnecessary fear, confusion, and trauma for our students and families - many of whom are simply trying to get to and from school and work, and to live with dignity," Carvalho said. The presence of federal immigration activity near school campuses threatens prevents schools from being a "safe haven" where students "can learn, grow, and thrive without fear of being separated from their loved ones," he said. California State Superintendent of Education Tony Thurmond called Trump's military deployment and mass immigration raids "unnecessary," "a betrayal of our American values" and "an assault on all Californians" in a statement on June 9. Thurmond said about half of California kids have at least one immigrant parent. "Innocent children should never be in handcuffs, and families should never be torn apart by our government. Our children deserve to be protected and cared for, not terrified at school or ripped from their families," Thurmond said. "Let's be clear: When the President targets our immigrant families, he harms California's children." California State Superintendent: 'Deeply dangerous for our children' California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Thurmond have called on Trump to end the mass immigration raids and pull back National Guard troops from Los Angeles for the safety of Los Angeles families. "My message to President Trump is very clear: keep your hands off California's kids," Thurmond said on June 9. "The President's unchecked, unnecessary deployment of our nation's military to the city of Los Angeles is deeply dangerous for our children, for our families, and for our country." The officials' sentiments haven't calmed the widespread fear among many of the city's vast immigrant communities. Britt Vaughan, a spokesperson for Los Angeles Unified school district, said that parents and community members have been anxiously calleing into schools to report federal immigration activity in their communities. Enriquez, from Palms Middle School, told students and their families at the commencement ceremony to use the momentum of graduation as an opportunity to stand up to what he called "injustice" against their community. "Be empowered. Injustices exist in the world," he said. "Speak up. Stand up against any injustice anywhere." Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@ Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Protests over Trump's ICE raids continue spreading to other major cities
Protests that erupted in Los Angeles over President Donald Trump 's Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have continued to spread to other major cities. The LA protests erupted almost a week ago after federal ICE agents conducted search warrants at multiple locations. Protests against Trump's mass deportations of illegal immigrants have since popped up across the country in cities including New York, Austin, Chicago and Atlanta. The Independent has identified protests in at least 35 U.S. cities since Friday, with the majority occurring on Monday and Tuesday. The protests have been spread across 19 states, with most in California, Texas and Pennsylvania. There are also planned protests in cities including Eugene, Oregon and Raleigh, North Carolina, according to The Washington Post. While most of the protests in LA have been peaceful, police have made hundreds of arrests. More than 200 people were arrested Tuesday, the Post reported, citing authorities. The vast majority were detained for failing to disperse, but there were 17 others who were accused of violating the curfew that officials placed on the downtown area indefinitely. Arrests have also been made in other cities where demonstrations have continued for days. A total of 86 people in New York City were arrested Tuesday after about 200 protesters confronted the cops, abc7NY reported. Of the protesters who were arrested, 34 were charged with crimes including assault, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. At least 13 protesters were arrested in Austin on Monday, KVUE reported. Police said the arrests were made 'in connection with unlawful activity.' Trump has deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. The unprecedented move sparked backlash from California officials, with Governor Gavin Newsom suing the Trump administration to stop the order. Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed the National Guard in his state 'to ensure peace & order,' he wrote on an X post Wednesday. 'Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. @TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order,' Abbott said.
