OKLAHOMA CITY, OK \u2014 What was meant to be a fresh start in a quieter, more affordable part of the country quickly turned into a nightmare for a Maryland family who had just moved to Oklahoma City. A mother and her three daughters say they were wrongfully targeted in a federal raid that left their home torn apart, their belongings seized, and their sense of safety shattered.<\/p>\n
The woman, identified only as \u201cMarisa\u201d to protect her family\u2019s privacy, had arrived in Oklahoma City just two weeks earlier. She and her daughters had rented a home in a northwest neighborhood, while her husband remained in Maryland temporarily to finalize their move.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just trying to start over,\u201d Marisa said in an emotional interview with News 4. \u201cWe thought Oklahoma would be peaceful, safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
That peace was violently interrupted early Thursday morning when approximately 20 armed federal agents \u2014 who Marisa said identified themselves as members of the FBI, ICE, and U.S. Marshals \u2014 stormed the home with a search warrant.<\/p>\n
Marisa claims the agents broke through the door and immediately ordered her and her daughters outside into the rain, not allowing them to dress properly. One daughter, a minor, was reportedly left standing outside in only her undergarments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey wanted me to change in front of all of them,\u201d Marisa said. \u201cMy husband has not even seen my daughter in her undergarments\u2014her own dad, because it\u2019s respectful.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the agents refused to answer her questions as to why they were there. \u201cI kept asking, \u2018Who are you? What are you doing here? What\u2019s happening?\u2019 They just said they had a warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Marisa, the names listed on the warrant were not hers or anyone in her household. She recognized them as names from mail addressed to previous tenants. Still, she said the agents treated her and her daughters as suspects, tearing through their belongings, seizing their phones, laptops, and even cash savings \u2014 their only financial resources since arriving in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took everything we had,\u201d she said. \u201cI told them, \u2018We don\u2019t even have money to buy food or get gas now.\u2019 They didn\u2019t care. They just left us here with nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. Marshals Service has since denied participating in the operation, though they confirmed being aware of it beforehand. No agency has taken full responsibility for the raid, leaving many questions unanswered about who authorized the action and what safeguards \u2014 if any \u2014 were in place to verify the current residents of the property.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, Marisa said one agent made a dismissive comment: \u201c\u2018I know it was a little rough this morning,\u2019 he said. A little rough? You traumatized us for life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The incident has raised serious concerns about potential violations of civil rights, excessive force, and the failure of federal authorities to adequately verify information before conducting high-risk operations. Legal experts say if the warrant was executed on the wrong home, the family could have grounds for a lawsuit under federal civil rights laws.<\/p>\n
Now, Marisa says she is left with nothing but trauma and a desire for justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes them more worthy of safety than us?\u201d she asked. \u201cWe\u2019re citizens. We work. We bleed. We have daughters to protect too. They took away our right to feel safe in our own home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family is reportedly seeking legal counsel and hopes to recover their property \u2014 and a sense of normalcy \u2014 as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK \u2014 What was meant to be a fresh start in a quieter, more affordable part of the country quickly turned into a nightmare for a Maryland family who had just moved to Oklahoma City. A mother and her three daughters say they were wrongfully targeted in a federal raid that left their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5192","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-community"},"yoast_head":"\n