By International Affairs Correspondent | 4 April 2025
BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON – Federal immigration officers arrested 37 individuals during an immigration raid at a roofing business in northern Washington on Wednesday morning.
The operation was carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Officers arrived at the premises of Mt. Baker Roofing at approximately 7:30 am, targeting undocumented workers at the company’s warehouse in Bellingham, a city located near the Canadian border.
A heavy-handed approach
Eyewitnesses described a scene of intimidation as heavily armed officers entered the facility.
“They arrived wielding their guns like they were going to shoot us, like we were criminals,” said Tomas Fuerte, a worker at Mt. Baker Roofing, speaking to Cascadia Daily News in Spanish.
According to Fuerte, the officers herded employees into a backroom, where they checked names and photos before removing individuals suspected of being undocumented.
“They had a list and pictures of everyone who was undocumented and took them away,” he added.
The detained workers were transported in two buses, marking the largest workplace immigration raid in the Bellingham area in recent memory.
Fuerte, who has worked at the company for 12 years, said he had never witnessed a raid of this scale before.
ICE confirms operation was part of criminal investigation
ICE spokesperson David Yost released a statement confirming the raid was executed under a federal search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
According to Yost, the individuals arrested fraudulently represented their immigration status and submitted fake documents to obtain employment, violating federal immigration law.
“The officers executed a federal search warrant based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the unlawful employment of aliens without legal work authorisation,” Yost said.
Although immigration enforcement has remained a controversial issue, ICE continues to target workplaces employing undocumented immigrants under the guise of fraud investigations.
Mt. Baker Roofing responds
In a statement released later in the day, Mt. Baker Roofing acknowledged the raid and said it was cooperating with authorities.
“We are fully cooperating with the authorities while also ensuring that our employees are treated fairly and respectfully under the law,” the company said.
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It remains unclear whether the company itself will face penalties or legal action for hiring undocumented workers. While criminal charges against business owners are rare in such cases, fines for hiring undocumented workers are common.
Broader immigration crackdown in the US
The raid in Bellingham follows a pattern of immigration enforcement operations that have fluctuated over the years depending on presidential policies.
ICE data shows that in the first 50 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, the agency arrested 32,809 individuals—an average of 656 arrests per day. This was a sharp increase from the 311 daily arrests recorded in the 12-month period ending in September 2016.
Under President Joe Biden, workplace raids have been less frequent than during the Trump or George W. Bush administrations. However, targeted enforcement operations, like the one at Mt. Baker Roofing, continue to occur.
Despite tough rhetoric on immigration, large-scale factory and office raids—a hallmark of Trump’s first term—have been less common during his current tenure. Instead, enforcement actions have been more targeted and smaller in scale, though ICE still conducts raids when it deems necessary.
What happens next?
The 37 detained individuals now face potential deportation proceedings. However, some may seek legal representation or apply for relief under asylum or other immigration protections.
Meanwhile, employers found guilty of hiring undocumented workers could face hefty fines, though legal experts suggest that criminal prosecution is rare in such cases.
As immigration enforcement policies continue to shift, the Washington roofing raid serves as a reminder of the ongoing debate over labour shortages, undocumented workers, and federal immigration policies in the United States.
