Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers raided a construction site near the Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday, and some fleeing workers tried to scale the fence surrounding the agency’s headquarters.
The security incident snarled traffic and shut down access to the agency’s campus in Langley, Va., for more than hour, according to people briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a law enforcement matter.
When I.C.E. officers descended on the construction site, workers ran in various directions. Several fled toward the C.I.A. campus, where some jumped over an outer fence and then tried to scale a larger fence that surrounds the facility.
Immigration officers did not notify the agency of plans for the raid, adding to the chaos of the situation, according to the people briefed on the incident. In the confusion that followed, the agency shut down access to the complex, stranding some intelligence officers in their cars on their way to and within the parking lot.
A spokesman for the C.I.A. confirmed that law enforcement responded to a security incident at the agency’s headquarters but said additional details would be provided later. A representative from ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Security incidents are not uncommon at the C.I.A. headquarters, including in March when a man drew a handgun outside the entrance. The most notable occurred in 1993, when two C.I.A. employees were shot inside their car outside the compound.
None of the workers fleeing the federal forces on Wednesday got near C.I.A. buildings or posed any threat to intelligence officials, but several were detained while scaling the fences. It is not clear whether the workers knew where they were going as they fled.
Attempting to break into the C.I.A. is a felony, but officials did not say what, if any, charges the workers might face. The citizenship or immigration status of the workers was not immediately clear.
Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades.
Mark Mazzetti is an investigative reporter based in Washington, D.C., focusing on national security, intelligence, and foreign affairs. He has written a book about the C.I.A.
Hamed Aleaziz covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy for The Times.
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