Two men sought during a federal immigration operation escaped after spending hours on an Oswego rooftop as a growing crowd confronted authorities, while Customs and Border Protection later said four other people targeted in the operation had been arrested and the two men remained at large.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Two men sought by U.S. Border Patrol escaped after a prolonged rooftop standoff in Oswego, New York, as a crowd numbering more than 50 people gathered around the residence, confronted federal agents and complicated efforts to bring the men down safely.
The confrontation began shortly after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near East Seventh and Burkle streets, not far from Charles E. Riley Elementary School. Oswego police initially responded to reports of a reckless driver before determining that the incident was connected to a Border Patrol targeted-enforcement operation involving multiple people sought on federal judicial warrants, according to the city’s account of the incident.
City officials said the individuals fled from a vehicle after a brief pursuit. Two reached a private residence on East Seventh Street, climbed scaffolding to its second-story roof and refused to come down. The standoff continued for approximately seven hours.
Customs and Border Protection later said six people had been associated with a vehicle registered to an individual who was subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge. Four of the six were apprehended and were themselves confirmed to have final removal orders, CBP said. They were processed and transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings. The two men who reached the rooftop remained at large as of Friday.
The city’s account said the federal operation occurred close enough to Charles E. Riley Elementary School that officials instituted a precautionary lockout while students were preparing for dismissal. Oswego police officers and a school resource officer remained at the school, where staff used additional dismissal procedures to ensure students left safely.
As the afternoon progressed, a crowd gathered near the residence where the two men remained on the roof. More than 50 people were present at one point, according to local reporting, while other accounts placed the crowd above 70 as the confrontation continued. Video circulating from the scene showed demonstrators shouting at federal agents and objecting to the attempted arrests. One widely shared video from the confrontation captured the increasingly tense atmosphere.
The crowd’s arrival also created problems for nearby homeowners.
Beginning around 2:30 p.m., Oswego police received multiple 911 calls from residents near the Border Patrol operation. Complainants told officers that demonstrators were entering private property and threatening residents. Police said they de-escalated several confrontations involving people trespassing on residential property and engaging in vulgar exchanges with homeowners. Officers instructed demonstrators to return to the street.
The homeowner whose roof the two men had climbed remained inside the residence during the standoff and wanted to stay in place, according to the city.
Around 5 p.m., Border Patrol Patrol Agent in Charge James Napoli requested assistance from the Oswego Fire Department in providing a ladder, saying negotiations with the men were continuing and agents wanted to give them a safe way off the roof. Police accompanied firefighters as they approached the property because city officials said demonstrators were verbally challenging and agitating them.
Firefighters attempted to position the ladder securely against the upper portion of the second-story roof, but the men pushed it away and refused to use it. The Fire Department ultimately abandoned the effort and left the ladder on the ground. Footage of police and firefighters moving into the increasingly crowded scene was also circulated in a video from Oswego.
“As the crowd numbers continued to increase, demonstrators were beginning to leave the roadway and come onto the private property of the residence. A separate group of individuals had gathered, and the crowd began to enter on private property, and both groups were engaging with each other,” Oswego authorities said.
“For the safety of all involved, OPD officers took up positions around the owner-occupied residence to protect private property and to give them the ability to monitor the crowd.”
Oswego officials emphasized that local police were not participating in the federal immigration arrests. Their role, the city said, was focused on school safety, crowd control, responding to residents’ complaints and protecting private property. The Fire Department likewise said its ladder was provided as a safety measure rather than to assist in apprehending the men.
As tensions increased and the men continued refusing to leave the roof, Border Patrol determined that attempting to take them into custody at the residence was no longer a viable option under the circumstances. Federal agents withdrew from the immediate scene.
Oswego police then worked with the homeowner to clear the property. A privately owned ladder was left in place, and the two men eventually descended after the federal agents had left.
Video from the scene showed supporters helping at least one of the men from the roof before people moved them away from the area and into waiting vehicles. A second social-media video documented the end of the confrontation.
CNY Central reported that people in the crowd also confronted journalists as the standoff ended, putting clothing over one television camera and demanding that crews stop recording. Personnel from another television station were also confronted, the outlet reported.
After the rooftop cleared, demonstrators began dispersing, although the homeowner later contacted police again because people were returning to his property. Officers responded and cleared the area without further incident. Oswego police made no arrests related to the demonstration, trespassing complaints or federal operation.
CBP subsequently clarified that the two men had climbed onto the roof without the property owner’s permission. The agency said Border Patrol withdrew because of public-safety concerns and intends to seek the pair again at a later date. CBP has not publicly released their names or ages.
The four people captured during the original enforcement action were all subject to final orders of removal, according to CBP. The agency said its officers had not conducted an enforcement operation inside the nearby elementary school.
The confrontation left no reported injuries despite the crowd, the lengthy rooftop standoff and the tense exchanges between demonstrators, residents, firefighters, police and federal agents.
“I recognize that incidents involving federal agencies can generate strong emotions. Even so, our responsibility as a city is clear: we protect our residents, safeguard our neighborhoods, and maintain order. I am grateful that no one was injured and that our personnel upheld the highest standards of conduct,” Oswego Mayor Robert Corradino stated.
“I want to thank the neighbors for their patience and cooperation, and I encourage everyone to continue engaging respectfully as we navigate situations that can be complex and sensitive.”
The two men who escaped the rooftop operation remained sought by Border Patrol after federal agents determined that attempting to arrest them amid the growing crowd posed too great a public-safety risk.
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