Donald Trump’s second term has made headlines for many negative reasons, one of which is ICE raids. Videos have surfaced showing agents using cruel tactics to detain people. The treatment has sparked outrage time and again and this time, a new body camera footage from a September raid in upstate New York adds to that picture.
The video, released this week, shows federal agents inside a nutrition bar factory in Cayuga County, sorting workers by their immigration status and forcing their way into women’s restrooms. The raid took place on September 4 at the Nutrition Bar Confectioners factory in Cato.
On that day, agents detained 57 employees. Among them was Argentina Juarez-Lopez, who now faces a felony charge for illegally entering the United States after deportation. She’s one of five people detained after that raid.
The footage was filed as part of a motion to suppress evidence by her attorney, Paul Tuck. According to him, the agents went far beyond the limits of their warrant. Court records state that federal authorities had two types of warrant. The other was a “Blackie’s Warrant.” It was named after a 1981 court case Blackie’s House of Beef v. Castillo. This type of warrant lets ICE agents enter a worksite to look for people suspected of violating immigration laws, though it doesn’t name anyone specifically. It only allows “consensual conversation.”
However, the footage shows a very different story. When the agents entered the building, a manager unlocked the door from the outside. One agent asked if the owner was aware of what was going on. The manager said co-owner Lenny Schmidt was on his way. Over the intercom, the manager could be heard telling staff, “Attention all Nutrition Bar Confectioners employees, the police are here with a search warrant. Please move to the production hallway and turn off all equipment by hitting the e-safe button.”
Inside, agents can be seen entering offices and mentioning that they’ll check computers. But most of what they do is search for people. They separate workers into groups—U.S. citizens, visa or permit holders, and those they say they “need more information” from.
At 9:26 a.m., the cameras capture a tense moment. Agents walk to the women’s restroom door, knock, and try to force it open. One officer shouts in Spanish, “Open the door now.” Then another says, “Oh, that’s a foot, that’s resistance.” Moments later, they kick the door open. Inside the restroom, they order women to the ground. One agent calls for female officers while another forces open a stall.
“Miss, pull up your pants and come out of the bathroom. Pull up your pants, come out of the bathroom,” an agent says.
By the end of the raid, dozens of people had been detained. At least one man, Hediberto Ramirez Perez, was deported, even though he had a valid work permit. Others are still being held in detention centers, their cases unresolved.
The footage is yet another reminder of a stark picture of how workplace raids have continued, and how far federal agents may go in the name of enforcement.
