ICE Arrests Dozens of Workers at Company Near Canadian Border As Crackdown Expands Across U.S.
"If you only knew the sadness that it is to see hard working people get onto that bus, people that came to work and they're not going to return with their families, it's honestly degrading," said the sister of one of the detainees
Pedro Camacho Pedro Camacho / Published Apr 03 2025, 5:04 PM EDT
Federal immigration officials arrested 37 workers during a raid at Mt. Baker Roofing in Bellingham, Washington. The operation, which involved agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, and Customs and Border Protection, took place in the early morning at the roofing company's warehouse, located near the Canadian border.
The arrests were part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the unlawful employment of undocumented immigrants without legal work authorization. ICE spokesperson David Yost said the workers had "fraudulently represented their immigration status and submitted fraudulent documents and/or information to seek employment," according to The Associated Press.
Tomas Fuerte, an employee at the company for 12 years, described the scene to Bellingham's Cascadia Daily News:
"They (law enforcement) arrived wielding their guns like they were going to shoot us, like we were criminals. They corralled us into a room in the back of the building. They had a list and pictures of everyone who was undocumented and took them away"
https://www.latintimes.com/ice-arrests-dozens-workers-company-near-canadian-border-crackdown-expands-across-us-579870