“I need a warrant for the property, the business or them,” Garcia is heard telling an agent. “Which one do you have?”

Garcia said she was permitted to climb to the roof where the workers had taken refuge. She had them sign legal representation forms, allowing her to communicate with federal agents on their behalf. Garcia noted the men, who were hired for a contracted job at the home, did not speak English but were able to communicate with her in Spanish.

She told News 8 that her focus was on the workers’ safety, with the men perched on the roof while tensions grew below.

“The purpose of us being there was for these workers,” Garcia said. “If everyone downstairs is panicking, they see people panicking … there was no one to catch them, there was no safety plan for them.”

As protesters gathered nearby with signs reading “Keep ICE out of Rochester,” Garcia said she worked to steer the crowd away from direct confrontation with law enforcement.

At one point, a Border Patrol van was seen with flat tires. It remains unclear how the damage occurred, but agents were later observed leaving in the vehicle.

Garcia said vandalism complicated the situation.

“It did also make things worse for us,” she said. “What could have ended quicker and a lot more efficient kind of just backlogged a bit.”

The Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies confirmed that one person was detained in connection with the incident.

In a statement, Monroe County Republican Committee Chairman Patrick Reilly criticized local officials’ response, describing it as “Democratic officials cheering on vandalism and bullying of law enforcement,” calling it “completely disgusting.” ICE has not responded to multiple News 8 requests for comment about the status of the workers.

Source: Rochester First