Dramatic video shows several illegal immigrants scrambling across rooftops in California as they try to flee federal immigration agents during an enforcement operation at a small construction site.
The frantic footage shows two individuals scaling a ladder onto the roof of a home in Montebello on Wednesday, shortly after authorities pulled up outside the single-story house. Montebello is a city in Los Angeles County
One of the individuals appeared to try to knock the ladder to the ground in an apparent attempt to prevent agents from following, but an officer caught the ladder and propped it back against the house.
The illegal immigrants then split up, leaping onto separate nearby rooftops as they fled.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Fox News Digital the incident occurred during a U.S. Border Patrol enforcement operation in the Montebello area.
"These operations resulted in the arrest of five illegal aliens from Mexico and Guatemala who have all broken the immigration laws of this country," a DHS spokesperson said. "These individuals will remain in custody pending further immigration proceedings."
Local outlet ABC7 reported the workers’ boss initially claimed no one had been detained. DHS, however, later confirmed to Fox News Digital that five individuals were arrested during the operation.
DHS said the enforcement activity was carried out as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration.
The incident comes as the White House moves to carry out what officials have described as the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, a policy that has sparked backlash in sanctuary cities and other Democratic-led jurisdictions.