Balance of ICE raid in Camarillo: 1 dead, 200 detainees, several injured and minors arrested
A farmworker died one day after a chaotic ICE raid on a cannabis farm in Southern California
A farmworker at a cannabis farm in Central California died on Friday, one day after being injured during chaotic and violent ICE raids in Carpinteria and Camarillo.
Two ICE raids rocked the Central Coast on Thursday as heavily armed federal agents stormed Glass House Farms cannabis farms in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County, and Camarillo, Ventura County, deploying tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and rubber bullets at onlookers, including stunned farmworkers, residents, and local officials.
Glass House Farms operates one of the largest licensed cannabis grow operations in California.
About 200 people were arrested in the two operations, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Thursday’s California raids were described by federal authorities in a press release as an investigation into child labor violations. Of the 10 minors found, eight have been classified as unaccompanied, meaning they entered the country alone.
The United Farm Workers union confirmed the death of the unidentified employee at Glass House Farms, a cannabis cultivation facility in Carpinteria, north of Los Angeles, during one of the ICE raids, but did not provide details on any injuries.
The union also said other workers were injured in the raids in both locations and that it is present at the cannabis cultivation farm to support the families.
Federal agents also fired non-lethal rounds and tear gas at protesters who gathered outside the Camarillo cannabis cultivation facility on Thursday as the employees were detained inside.
Immigrant Minors Detained by ICE in Raids
Federal authorities on Friday revealed more details about Thursday’s immigration raid at a Glass House cannabis facility in Camarillo.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott reported that 10 minors were found inside the facility; all of them, he said, are undocumented, and eight of them were identified as unaccompanied minors.
Missing Farmworkers Reported, Americans Detained
At least seven other workers were injured and transported in ambulances, while others, including U.S. citizens, remain missing, according to the United Farm Workers (UFW). The workers were held at the facility for eight hours or more, according to the union.
Several U.S. citizens were released only after agreeing to delete videos and photos of the raid from their phones, the UFW said in a statement.
U.S. citizens were also detained in the operation, the union said.
Families wait for detained workers
Family members were waiting for workers outside the Camarillo farm this morning, and at least one employee left without commenting to the press. The man is believed to have evaded arrest.
Workers reported that they were held for up to eight hours by immigration agents and were only released after being forced to delete photos and videos of the raid from their phones.
The union demanded this Friday that detained undocumented minors be allowed to obtain independent legal representation “to protect them from further harm.”
“Farmworkers are excluded from basic child labor laws and, sadly, it is not uncommon for teenagers to work in the fields. To be clear: detaining and deporting children is not a solution to child labor,” the UFW stressed in a statement.
Amid the response by federal authorities to repel the demonstration, families with children who came to look for farm workers were trapped.
The FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of a man believed to be armed and who opened fire on the officials.
Protest against ICE raids
A protest is planned for this afternoon at Camarillo City Hall in rejection of the escalation of massive raids ordered by the government of President Donald Trump in California, which has promised operations for 60 days.
President Trump has said he may seek relief for farm and hotel workers, amid protests from ranchers, farmers, and the hotel industry who have been left without jobs by immigration policy.
However, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins clarified Tuesday that the administration's policy still includes mass deportations and no amnesty.
There are 34 million able-bodied adults in the Medicaid program, Rollins said. Deportations will continue, strategically and intentionally, as we move toward greater automation and a 100 percent American workforce.
Border czar Tom Homan warned Friday that if Democrats continue to support immigrants and disparage ICE, violence will escalate to the point of death.

