Federal immigration agents were forced to abandon an arrest operation in Rochester, New York on Tuesday morning after an angry crowd of around 100 people confronted them in the street, chanting, shouting, and ultimately chasing them away from the scene.
The operation, targeting rooftop workers at a residential construction site, turned chaotic as demonstrators flooded the area, screaming “shame” and “Gestapo” at the agents, some of whom were wearing masks. According to local outlet WXXI, protesters jeered and made obscene gestures as the agents left the neighborhood. One of their SUVs drove off with four slashed tires — the crowd erupted in cheers as it limped away.
Only one worker was taken into custody during the raid. Roofing contractor Clayton Baker, who was overseeing the job, identified the man as one of his employees — and said he had legal documentation. Baker slammed the arrest as unnecessary and cruel.
“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,” Baker told WXXI.
The rest of the workers remained on the roof throughout the ordeal and were not detained.
Immigration authorities stayed tight-lipped. A CBP spokesperson said the operation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but ICE didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The backlash wasn’t limited to locals on the ground. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, commented on the crowd’s intense reaction — particularly the damaged federal vehicle.
“Which is why it’s pretty incredible that we are seeing that level of willingness to engage in pretty serious behavior in opposition to immigration enforcement,” Reichlin-Melnick wrote on X.
For many, the raid wasn’t just about one arrest — it was a flashpoint in an ongoing national battle over immigration policy. The Biden administration has ramped up enforcement actions in recent months, while cities like Rochester have doubled down on “sanctuary” policies aimed at shielding undocumented residents from federal intervention.
“They’re here putting on a roof, trying to make a dollar and paying taxes on that dollar, and ICE was here bothering them, so I came to bother ICE,” protester Ruth Reeves told WHAM.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration sued Rochester over its sanctuary city stance — a lawsuit that prompted the city council to reaffirm its commitment to those protections.
In the end, it wasn’t ICE that sent a message on Tuesday. It was the community — loud, defiant, and unwilling to back down.
Watch local ABC station 13WHAM’s coverage of the standoff below.
