OKLAHOMA CITY—US citizens were raided by federal agents who took all of their electronics and cash. A mother (referred to as “Marisa” by News 4) and her daughters were traumatized after 20 federal agents broke into their home in the middle of the night with guns drawn. They identified themselves as federal agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, and ICE. The agents forced the women outside into the rain in their underwear, refusing to allow them to get dressed first.
Content Warning: In the video of reporting by local Oklahoma NBC affiliate, News 4, the woman is extremely upset and traumatized—crying as she explains what happened that night.
The agents proceeded to tear the house apart, destroying things and confiscating their cell phones, laptops, and all of “Marisa’s” cash. She repeatedly told them that she and her daughters were U.S. Citizens and the names on the warrant didn’t belong to anyone there or to anyone in their family. The agents didn’t care.
Oklahoma News 4 contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and were told the agency had assisted in the case, but none of their men were present that night. The FBI said none of their agents were involved in the raid that night and instructed News 4 to contact the Department of Homeland Security. They didn’t received a comment from DHS in the days following their inquiry.
US citizens were raided by federal agents
Rachel Maddow ran the story Tuesday night, stating that MSNBC had also contacted the agencies for comment. The FBI denied being involved, the U.S. Marshals Service—who told News 4 they had assisted but weren’t part of the raid—told MSNBC they weren’t involved at all and directed them to contact DHS. They didn’t hear back from anyone at DHS as of last night.
This woman and her daughters are traumatized. They were terrified during the raid and “Marisa” said she had begged the agents to “turn on their humanity” and see how scared they were. She needs her money to buy food and gas. Yet, no one seems to know anything about which agency was involved or the whereabouts of her property or cash.
From reporting by News 4:
The woman, who News 4 will refer to as “Marisa”, and her three daughters came to Oklahoma looking for a slower, more affordable pace of life.
They rented a house in a seemingly safe northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood.
Her husband stayed back in Maryland a couple of extra weeks, planning to join them this weekend.
“I was like, ‘okay, Oklahoma’s my home now,’” Marisa said.
But any comfort they had disappeared Thursday morning when about 20 men, armed with guns, busted through the door.
“I don’t know who they were,” she said. “It was dark. All the lights were off.”
“Marisa’ said the men identified themselves as federal agents with the U.S. Marshals, ICE, and the FBI.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service denied having agents present during the raid, telling News 4 they were “aware of the operation before it happened,” but did not assist in any capacity.
“I keep asking them, ‘who are you? What are you doing here? What’s happening,’” she said. “And they said, ‘we have a warrant for the house, a search warrant.’”
“We just moved here from Maryland,” she said. “We’re citizens. That’s what I kept saying. We’re citizens.”
She said the agents didn’t care.
“They were very dismissive, very rough, very careless,” she said. “I kept pleading. I kept telling them we weren’t criminals. They were treating us like criminals. We were here by ourselves. We didn’t do anything.”
“Marisa” said the agents tore apart every square inch of the house and what few belongings they had, seizing their phones, laptops and their life savings in cash as “evidence.”
“I told them before they left, I said you took my phone. We have no money. I just moved here,” she said. “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.”
Before they left, Marisa said one of the agents made a comment.
“One of them said, ‘I know it was a little rough this morning,’” she said. “It was so denigrating. That you do all of this to a family, to women, your fellow citizens. And it was a little rough? You literally traumatized me and my daughters for life. We’re going to have to go get help or get over this somehow.”
Now, Marisa said they have, quite literally, nothing.
Editor: This is a developing story and will be updated as new information comes in.
