A mother and her three daughters have experienced a distressing encounter with law enforcement, claiming agents stormed into their home with firearms drawn.
In early April, Marissa, using a pseudonym, relocated with her daughters from Maryland to a rented residence in Oklahoma City, anticipating her husband’s later arrival. They sought a more affordable lifestyle and a slower pace.
However, on April 24, a group of agents from multiple agencies, reportedly including United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), entered their home.
In an interview with KSFOR, Marissa recounted how the family initially believed they were victims of a home invasion, as they woke up to the sight of firearms aimed at them.
It was later revealed that the agents had a search warrant, but the names on it did not correspond to Marissa’s family.
Despite not being the individuals the authorities were looking for, and Marissa asserting their status as US citizens, the agents allegedly confiscated their life savings.
Marissa explained that she and her daughters were forced outside without time to dress properly; one of her children, a minor, was left in her underwear.
The agents reportedly insisted the family change clothes in front of them.
“My husband has not even seen my daughter in her undergarments – her own dad, because it’s respectful,” Marissa stated.
Throughout the ordeal, Marissa repeatedly asked the agents for their identity and purpose, receiving the response that they had a ‘search warrant for the home’.
She pleaded with the agents, affirming their citizenship and innocence, but says they remained dismissive and rough.
“You have guns pointed in our faces. Can you just reprogram yourself and see us as humans, as women? A little bit of mercy. Care a little bit about your fellow human, about your fellow citizen, fellow resident. We bleed too. We work. We bleed just like anybody else bleeds. We’re scared. You could see our faces that we were terrified,” she added.
Marissa felt they were treated as criminals, despite their innocence. The agents then began to ransack the house.
She alleged that all their electronic devices and cash savings were taken, leaving her unable to care for or transport her children.
“When I asked when we would get our belongings back, they said it could take days or months,” Marissa claimed.
She stated the agents identified themselves as federal agents from the US Marshals, ICE, and the FBI.
A spokesperson for the US Marshals Service informed the outlet on April 29 that they were aware of the operation in advance but claimed none of their agents were present during the raid.
An FBI spokesperson redirected inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while stating they were assisting in the case.
A senior DHS official told The Independent: “ICE was carrying out a court-authorized search warrant for a large-scale human smuggling investigation. The case has been accepted for federal prosecution in the Northern District of Oklahoma. The search warrants included the location of an address where U.S. citizens recently moved. The previous residents were the intended targets.”