A Maryland mother who recently relocated to Oklahoma in hopes of building a quieter life for her three daughters now finds herself grappling with trauma, fear, and financial instability after federal agents stormed her home in a botched raid.
The woman, referred to as Marissa for privacy, had just moved into a rental property in northwest Oklahoma City. Her husband remained behind in Maryland to finalize the family’s transition. But within two weeks of settling into their new home, Marissa says more than a dozen armed officers—claiming to be from federal agencies including ICE, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals—burst through their doors in the middle of the night.
According to Marissa, the agents pointed guns at her and her daughters, ordered them out of the house in the pouring rain, and gave them no time to put on proper clothing. The children were reportedly left standing outside in their undergarments while officers combed through their home.
“I didn’t even know who they were at first,” Marissa told local outlet KFOR. “It was pitch black. All the lights were off. Suddenly, 20 men are in our home, shouting orders with guns pointed at us.”
The officers allegedly claimed they had a valid search warrant. When Marissa finally saw the document, she noticed the names listed had nothing to do with her family. Instead, she recognized them as the previous occupants of the home—names she’d seen on misdelivered mail. Later, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the operation targeted former residents linked to an ongoing human smuggling investigation.
Family Stripped of Dignity and Possessions
Marissa says she repeatedly told the agents that she and her daughters had nothing to do with the people they were looking for. “We’re citizens. We just moved here from Maryland. You’ve got the wrong people,” she pleaded.
Despite her protests, the agents confiscated the family’s phones, laptops, and all their available cash—money Marissa says was meant to help them adjust to their new life. They left without offering contact information, leaving the family in limbo.
“I asked, ‘When do we get our things back?’” Marissa said. “They told me it could be days or even months.”
To make matters worse, Marissa was never provided with any identification or business card from the agents, making it nearly impossible to follow up on the return of her belongings. While the FBI confirmed its involvement in the operation, it referred all inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS acknowledged receiving questions from KFOR but has not responded publicly.
Lasting Trauma and Emotional Toll
For Marissa, the worst part wasn’t just the loss of their property—but the traumatic impact on her daughters, who she says were forced to stand outside without adequate clothing in front of male officers.
“They didn’t even allow me to change in private,” she said. “I told them my daughter is a minor. Even her father has never seen her in her underwear. Yet they had her standing outside like that, humiliated.”
One agent later acknowledged the intensity of the situation. “He said, ‘I know it was a little rough this morning,’” Marissa recounted. “A little rough? You shattered us. You’ve traumatized my daughters for life.”
Community Support and Unanswered Questions
As the family continues to process the experience, a friend launched a GoFundMe campaign to help them get back on their feet. The fundraiser notes the family is now in financial distress and emotionally devastated, left trying to rebuild their lives with no clear guidance on when—or if—they’ll recover their possessions.
“They were treated like criminals,” the fundraiser description states. “This family needs support to recover from a violation that should never have happened.”
As public scrutiny mounts, civil liberties advocates are calling for greater oversight and accountability in federal operations, particularly when it comes to executing raids based on outdated or inaccurate information.
In the meantime, Marissa and her daughters are left trying to heal—emotionally and financially—from an ordeal they never could have anticipated.