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Agents forced to leave immigration raid with slashed tires due to pro-illegal alien protesters

September 10, 2025 | | Print Article

Federal immigration agents were forced to leave a raid in Rochester early because of a confrontation with disruptive, pro-illegal alien protesters.

The confrontation occurred at a home in Rochester’s Park Avenue neighborhood, where a group of illegal alien roofers was working.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation was interrupted by over 100 protesters who shouted “shame” and “Gestapo” at the agents, according to local station WXXI.

The disruptive protesters also reportedly slashed the four tires of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) SUV.

The operation resulted in the apprehension of one roofer. The other roofers were left untouched because the immigration agents on scene eventually had no other option but to leave.

Clayton Baker, a roofing contractor, claimed the roofer who was apprehended had legal documentation to work.

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“They took my best worker that’s been working with me for 5 years, and just basically, ‘See you later,’ you know?” he complained. “He’s a family guy, and he’s got a baby on the way. He’s never even had a speeding ticket that I know of.”

“He goes to church every Sunday, and he pays his taxes. But you want to come get him off of a hard-working job. It’s bulls–t, and it’s inhumane and it’s sad,” he added.

The protesters were supported in their efforts by local officials.

“I showed up today at a call from the New York Immigration Coalition as an attorney out of concern that there needed to be official warrants,” Assemblymember Jen Lunsford, a Democrat, told station WHAM.

“This is a private residence, so we just wanted to make sure that everything is happening within the bounds of the law,” she added.

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According to a video posted to Facebook by an ICE agent, everything that happened was indeed within the bounds of the law.

“They already admitted they are here illegally, and I can make a warrantless arrest,” the agent said in the video, adding that he and the other agents were waiting for the other roofers “to come down.”

Assemblymember Harry Bronson, another Democrat, also spoke out against the federal immigration raid.

“This is pitting one group of people against another group of people,” he alleged. “This is an attempt to attack our democracy, because a democracy can only operate under the rule of law and can only operate if our leaders are following the law.”

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“And they’re not doing this, they’re pushing the envelope, and they’re doing this because they want to have a boogeyman out there, and for them, the boogeymen are people of color and people who aren’t originally from the United States,” he added.

Meanwhile, Monroe County legislator Rachel Barnhart outright celebrated the failed raid with a post published to Substack:

“Rochester won this round,” she wrote. “The rapid response strategy worked. People showed up. We made it clear: this is not who we are.”

“Our hardworking neighbors do not deserve to be torn from their families, jailed, and deported without a chance to keep contributing to our community. ICE will come back. And when they do, Rochester will be ready,” she continued.

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The raid came weeks after the far-left Rochester City Council voted unanimously to officially codify the city’s “sanctuary city” policy.

“We’re doing this because it matters,” council president Miguel Meléndez said at the time. “It is important for our community to know where their elected leaders stand.”

“It is important because we are upholding the Constitution of the United States and ensuring our local resources are not commandeered. It is important because families in our community are hurting and being torn apart,” he added.

It’s not clear why Democrats keep purporting to care about law and order when it’s blatantly obvious that they have zero respect for America’s federal immigration laws.

Speaking of which, Tuesday’s raid also came a few days after another raid of a New York candy factory. How did the left respond to that raid? With New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, calling it “cruel.”

Vivek Saxena
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