Authorities say about 200 immigrants were arrested in raids on 2 Southern California farms

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Federal migration authorities said Friday they arrested astir 200 immigrants suspected of being successful the state illegally successful raids a time earlier connected 2 California cannabis workplace sites. Protesters engaged successful a tense standoff with authorities during an cognition astatine 1 of the farms.

The Department of Homeland Security said successful a connection that authorities executed transgression hunt warrants successful Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, connected Thursday. They arrested immigrants suspected of being successful the state illegally, and determination were besides astatine slightest 10 migrant children connected site, the connection said.

Four U.S. citizens were arrested for “assaulting oregon resisting officers,” the section said. Authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for accusation starring to the apprehension of 1 idiosyncratic suspected of firing a weapon astatine national agents. One idiosyncratic who called household to accidental helium was hiding from authorities was connected beingness enactment aft falling and suffering important injuries.

During the raid, crowds of radical gathered extracurricular Glass House Farms successful Camarillo to question accusation astir their relatives and protestation migration enforcement. Authorities clad successful military-style helmets and uniforms faced disconnected with the demonstrators. Acrid greenish and achromatic billowing fume past forced assemblage members to retreat.

Glass House, a licensed California cannabis grower, said successful a connection that migration agents had valid warrants. The institution said workers were detained, and it is helping supply them with ineligible representation. The workplace besides grows tomatoes and cucumbers.

“Glass House has ne'er knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has ne'er employed minors,” the connection said.

It is ineligible to turn and merchantability cannabis successful California with due licensing.

The state's Department of Cannabis Control said they “observed nary minors connected the premises” during a tract sojourn to the workplace successful May 2025. After receiving different complaint, the section opened an progressive investigation, according to a section spokesperson.

Worker gravely injured

At slightest 12 radical were injured during the raid and protest, said Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department. Eight were taken to St. John’s Regional Medical Center and the Ventura County Medical Center, and 4 were treated astatine the country and released. Dowd said helium did not person accusation connected the grade of the injuries of those hospitalized.

On Friday, astir 2 twelve radical waited extracurricular the workplace to retrieve the cars of loved ones and talk to managers. Relatives of Jaime Alanis, who has picked tomatoes astatine the workplace for 10 years, said helium called his woman successful Mexico during the raid to archer her migration agents had arrived and that helium was hiding with others wrong the farm.

“The adjacent happening we heard was that helium was successful the infirmary with breached hands, ribs and a breached neck,” Juan Duran, Alanis’ brother-in-law, said successful Spanish.

It was not instantly wide however Alanis was injured. A doc astatine Ventura County Medical Center told the household that those who brought Alanis to the infirmary said helium had fallen from the extortion of a building.

Alanis had a breached neck, fractured skull and a rupture successful an artery that pumps humor to the brain, said his niece Yesenia, who didn’t privation to stock her past sanction for fearfulness of reprisal. He is connected beingness support, she said.

“They told america helium won’t marque it and to accidental goodbye,” Yesenia said, crying.

The infirmary did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Confrontation with authorities

Relatives and advocates headed to the workplace astir 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles to effort to find retired what was going on, and began protesting outside.

Federal authorities formed a enactment blocking the roadworthy starring done workplace fields to the company's greenhouses. Protesters were seen shouting astatine agents wearing camouflage gear, helmets and state masks. The billowing fume drove protesters to retreat. It wasn’t wide wherefore authorities threw the canisters oregon if they released chemicals specified arsenic teardrop gas.

Ventura County occurrence authorities responding to a 911 telephone of radical having occupation breathing said 3 radical were taken to adjacent hospitals.

At the farm, agents arrested workers and removed them by bus. Others, including U.S. citizens, were detained astatine the tract for hours portion agents investigated.

The incidental came arsenic national migration agents person ramped up arrests successful Southern California astatine car washes, farms and Home Depot parking lots, stoking wide fearfulness among migrant communities.

Federal investigations

The Department of Homeland Security said successful a connection Friday that the probe into migration and imaginable kid labour violations astatine the workplace is ongoing. No further details of the allegations were provided.

The bureau said hundreds of demonstrators attempted to disrupt the operations, starring to the apprehension of 4 Americans.

“We volition prosecute to the fullest grade of the instrumentality anyone who assaults oregon doxes national instrumentality enforcement,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said successful a statement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection were some portion of the operation, the connection said.

Family members hunt for answers

The parent of an American idiosyncratic said her lad was held astatine the worksite for 11 hours and told her agents took workers’ cellphones to forestall them from calling household oregon filming and forced them to erase cellphone video of agents astatine the site.

The pistillate said her lad told her agents marked the men’s hands with ink to separate their migration status. She spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that she feared reprisals from the government.

United Farm Workers said successful connection that immoderate U.S. citizens are not yet accounted for.

Maria Servin, 68, said her lad has worked astatine the workplace for 18 years and was helping to physique a greenhouse. She said she spoke to her son, who is undocumented, aft proceeding of the raid and offered to prime him up.

“He said not to travel due to the fact that they were surrounded and determination was adjacent a helicopter. That was the past clip I spoke to him,” Servin, a U.S. citizen, said successful Spanish.

She said she went to the workplace anyhow but national agents were shooting teardrop state and rubber bullets and she decided it was not harmless to stay. She and her girl returned to the workplace Friday and were told her lad had been arrested Thursday. They inactive don’t cognize wherever helium is being held.

“I regret 1,000 times that I didn’t assistance him get his documents,” Servin said.

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Taxin reported from Orange County, California, and Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.