Beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents staked out a small neighborhood in the Taskers Chance area of Frederick, Maryland, for about 40 hours. ICE told the Frederick News-Post it came after a man fled a traffic stop. Frederick City Council Vice President Katie Nash said there were federal agents on every street of a quiet, small neighborhood, and many residents did not leave their homes.
A couple of dozen community members gathered to watch. Encounters stayed peaceful, local officials said, until about 9:30 p.m. Friday, when five or six vehicles lined up on Stoneybrook Court with lights flashing and agents drove onto the sidewalk where observers were standing. “People had to move or risk getting run over,” City Council President César Díaz said, adding that Nash was nearly hit. Some observers sat in the road and linked arms; others linked arms in front of the house the agents appeared to be targeting.
Minutes later, according to Nash, agents pulled out batons and hit people who had formed a “human barrier” in front of the home. She said that although they were blocking the agents from entering, none of the observers was violent or throwing things. Video from the group Hagerstown Rapid Response shows agents grabbing and pushing protesters and at least one agent hitting a person on the ground with a baton. Agents then entered the home. No arrests were made, the agents left soon after, and it did not appear anyone inside was detained. A couple of people were injured, Díaz said, though the severity was unclear.
The city said Frederick police were not notified in advance and were not involved in planning or carrying out the operation; officers were called to the scene at 9 p.m. in response to escalating tensions. Hagerstown Rapid Response said Police Chief Kevin Meyer told radio station WFMD that when his officers asked ICE whether agents had a warrant, the agents replied, “We're not gonna discuss that with you.” Whether a warrant existed has not been established.
DHS said it would not discuss potential investigations, adding, “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences.” Rep. April McClain Delaney said she was “especially disturbed by reports that ICE agents used force against Frederick residents,” and state Del. Kris Fair said Congress needs to “rein in these out-of-control federal agents.”