A local family says immigration agents raided their home without a warrant, grabbing and arresting two people.

Five immigration agents allegedly showed up before sunrise, forced their way in and arrested a mother and daughter. "She is the stepmother of our children and the kids are asking for her," said Melvin Palacias.

He said he'll never forget the immigration raid that took away his wife and mother-in-law. He said they never received notification that they had a court hearing or that a deportation order had been entered against them.

"We have been together for over nine years and we've never been apart in such a violent way," said Palacias. He is most concerned about his children ages six and seven, who are U.S. citizens. They are now separated from their mother and grandmother, who are being detained in St. Mary's County. They face deportation to El Salvador.

"When the homeowner, who is legally in the United States, asked to see some authority for them to enter the home, they held a gun to his head and handcuffed him," said Linette Tobin, an immigration lawyer.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement would not discuss the specific case, but explained their standard procedure. A spokeswoman said, "ICE has to identify themselves and apprise the individuals as to why they're being questioned."

The mother, Maria Sanchez, has been in the U.S. since 1990 and according to their lawyer, qualifies for a green card. Her daughter has been under temporary protected status. The family does intent to fight their deportation.

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