Protesters defend roofers sought by immigration agents in N.Y.

When immigration agents went to a roofing job site this week in Rochester, New York, they were quickly met with a crowd of protesters who came out to defend workers who stayed on the roof of a home, according to officials and advocates at the scene.

When immigration agents went to a roofing job site this week in Rochester, New York, they were quickly met with a crowd of protesters who came out to defend workers who stayed on the roof of a home, according to officials and advocates at the scene.

A group of men were working on the roof of a private, multifamily house when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal law enforcement arrived midmorning Tuesday, according to a statement to NBC News from Democratic Assemblymember Jen Lunsford, who was at the scene and spoke to witnesses there.

A local resident saw what was happening and called a rapid response network, which alerted immigration advocacy groups, protesters, faith leaders and officials who arrived at the home, Lunsford said in the statement.

Rachel Barnhart, a Monroe County legislator, told NBC News that recently ICE has been “very active” in the Western New York region and taking workers into custody. But this was the first time that the local community was alerted in real time and more than 100 people, including Barnhart, were able to come out as the event was happening, she said.

“I saw two people sitting on the roof. It was frankly heartbreaking. The ICE agents were in the backyard, and in the front, a crowd was gathering,” she said. “People were displaying hand signs to the men. They were telling them to stay strong. It was a very peaceful crowd.”