Look at the protesters and family in immigrant raids near Camarillo
Protesters clash with federal agents in Camarillo
VENTULA, California — The Southern California community has gained the advantage after protesters and federal agents swept immigrants at one of the state’s largest cannabis farms.
Social media from federal agents reported flooding on July 10th when they arrived at the Glasshouse Farm facility outside Camarillo, an agricultural area along the Southern California coast.
According to Santa Barbara’s news site Noozhawk, on July 10, federal agents stormed a Glasshouse Farm facility in Carpenteria, California. The protesters there confronted the agents in a similar situation to the one near Camarillo.
At the scene there is yellow crime scene tape with US border patrol markings extending to Laguna Road. On one hand stood what appeared to be masked and armed federal agents, but at the other end a crowd of over 100 people gathered, defeating the agents and yelling them.
The agents fired projectiles at the crowd, attacking several people, and slamming at least one into the face. The agent lobed the canister which released yellow or white gas. The protesters stomped on several canisters until they left.
The masked agent continued to deploy the gas cans until 1:30pm local time. Some were in the crowd, others pouring milk into their faces to counter the gas.
Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Andrew Dowd said three people were taken to a community hospital. He didn’t know the extent of their injuries, but said the crew were on the scene to help those who were injured.
Glass House Farms Greenhouse Complex is one of California’s largest licensed cannabis farms with over 5 million square feet of growth space. The company purchased the property from Houweling’s tomatoes in 2021.
Glasshouse Farm says it is “one of the fastest growing vertically integrated cannabis companies in the United States.” X said the facility was “visited today by ICE officials.” The company added that it will “comply with the agent’s search warrants and provide further updates as needed.”
“Driving people who had no problems with the law”
Some of the crowd assembled were protesters. The others were family members of farm workers.
Jessica Lopez was leaning towards the vehicle. She said she received a call from her husband around 9:30am local time, saying that the ice was at the facility. Lopez, a US citizen, said her undocumented husband worked at Glasshouse.
“The last time I spoke to him, he said he was hiding somewhere,” she said. “They bring hardworking people who have no problems with the law.”
Adrian Garcia, 25, from Oxnard, California, previously worked on a farm. He had a sign given to him by another protester who wrote in Spanish, “We are essential.” Garcia said she ran to the scene after hearing from family members on the facility, just like everyone else gathered in the crowd.
Legislators and union leaders criticize immigrant sweep
Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benitez said the initial surgery appears to be entirely made up of federal agents.
Ventura County Democrat President Steve Eau Claire described the situation at Glass House Farm as “completely outrageous.” His mother, in the mid-60s, was hit by gas and struck by a projectile. He called it a “military attack on our community.”
“They came first for the farm workers, but now they’re taking us all,” Eau Claire said.
Jackie Irwin, who represents California’s 42nd Congressional District, wrote that she was heartbroken by the image of what was called a “meaningless” attack on a local farm. Her district covers the belts of Ventura County, including Camarillo, and parts of Los Angeles County.
“Deporting our field workers does nothing to strengthen the safety of our communities, but rather instills fear in the immigrant community and makes it less likely to involve law enforcement when crime occurs.”
The president of United Farm Workers, Teresa Romero, said farm members were in contact with staff during the incident, but details of the operation are still unknown.
“All we know is that it’s going on,” Romero said. “There is no good reason to do this in the agricultural regions, the agriculture industry. These workers are working very hard and just panicking.”
“We just want to know if our family is okay.”
Just after 2pm local time, a large white bus tumbled down Laguna Road from the facility, accompanied by what appears to be a National Guard vehicle. Gas and pellets were used by declining crowds.
Small puddles of milk dotted the roads where protesters had handled their eyes from the gas. Federal agents moved the line of protesters, but demonstrators also threw things in their cars.
The workers’ families stayed up all night outside waiting for the words of their loved ones. Dahlia Perez, 30, of Oxnard, said she was last heard that her mother was in the facility room with her ice agent and that the phone had been stolen.
“I’m upset. I’m helpless,” Perez said of how she feels. “(her mom) has done nothing wrong. She worked here to lead a better life.”
Perez said his undocumented mother has lived in Oxnard for more than 30 years.
“We just want to know if our family is okay,” she said.
A sweep of immigrants comes amidst the crackdown on California
In recent months, the Trump administration has stepped up deportation efforts in California by carrying out immigration attacks at workplaces, traffic stops and routine legal check-in.
The federal immigrant sweep sparked fear and protest, including Los Angeles County, south of the Camarillo and Carpinteria cities. Isolated but violent demonstrations broke out in downtown Los Angeles in June after immigration agents carried out a string of attacks throughout the county.
The raids during the protests and Trump’s actions prompted legal and social media conflicts between state leaders and their administration, including calling 4,000 California State Guard troops and 700 Marines.
The administration has changed its position several times in recent weeks regarding whether it will be eligible for a campaign to deport all immigrants living in the United States without legal status. In June, Trump ordered ICE to halt enforcement activities on the farm, but the agency overturned its position a few days later.
The president then said in early July that migrant workers would be willing to remain in the country if farmers could “guaranteed” them. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins later said there was “no pardon” for farm workers from deportation.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, about 42% of farm workers from 2020 to 2022 were in countries with no legal status. In California, immigrants make up about a third of workers, making up a large share of the workforce in physically intensive sectors such as construction and agriculture.
Contributors: Tony Bizzotti of Makena Huey and Sheri Carlson, USA Today Network. Bailey Schultz and Medora Lee, USA Today; Reuters
