A mother identified her son during the live broadcast of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a farm in Ventura County, an operation that left at least 84 people detained and generated commotion among the migrant community in the region.

According to Southern California resident Eli Garcia, her son Julio Aníbal Melgar is a U.S. citizen and has mild autism. He had started working in the fields just two months ago, building greenhouses for growing tomatoes. On the day of the raid, he managed to communicate with his mother.

"She told me, 'Mom, don't worry. ICE got us, we're surrounded. Don't go out,'" Garcia told Univision News after seeing her son on screen during the raid at a farm in Camarillo, California, Thursday morning.

"I see him sad and distressed. It's the first time he's been part of a raid," said Garcia, visibly upset, as she recognized her son, who was wearing a red T-shirt, a gray sweater, and blue pants.

Raid captured by television cameras

The operation began Thursday morning and was captured by an NBC helicopter. The images, broadcast by Univisión, showed more than 20 federal agents entering the facility using stun grenades, smoke grenades, and rubber bullets to disperse the workers.

The farm, licensed to grow tomatoes and cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes, employed hundreds of people, many of them immigrants. Although there is no official figure for how many were detained, initial reports indicate that at least 84 undocumented workers were arrested in Camarillo.

García expressed concern about the treatment of farmworkers during these operations: “We are honest, hardworking people. We come to put food on your tables. We just ask that you let us work in peace.”

Citizen Persecuted

What caused the most concern in this case was that Julio Aníbal was born in Orange County, California, and despite being a citizen, he was allegedly surrounded and pursued by agents. His mother reported that the officers did not distinguish between documented and undocumented workers.

“She is concerned that the agents 'pull evenly,' without first verifying who is in the country legally,” García said.

Although Melgar was not seen handcuffed in the images, his situation has not yet been clarified. So far, ICE has not issued an official statement on whether the young man was arrested, questioned, or released following the operation.

Concern in the migrant community

The operation, which included official vehicles and, according to witnesses, the possible presence of the National Guard, which has not been confirmed by authorities, was carried out without prior notice and caused fear among farmworker families.

The raid raised alarms among migrant communities in Ventura County. Migrant rights organizations have not yet commented on the operation, but in previous raids they have criticized the use of aggressive tactics in work environments.

According to Univision, the real-time broadcast of this operation underscores the growing tension between migrant communities and federal agencies.