In the most recent altercation in a state that has turned into a hotbed for President Trump’s immigration agenda, federal officials raided a sizable cannabis farm in Southern California on Thursday, clashing with demonstrators and making many arrests.
During the operation in Camarillo, California, the agents were seen using crowd control munitions and tear gas, according to footage captured by local news media from helicopters. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin posted on social media that the agents were carrying out criminal search warrants.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said on social media that 10 minors, eight of them were unaccompanied, were discovered at one of the locations that were raided on Thursday. All of them were in the country illegally.
Thursday’s federal operation was the most recent in a string of immigration raids that have led to protests and unrest in Latino communities around California. The Trump administration is facing a federal lawsuit to halt the raids. Additionally, several Republican senators have urged President Trump to concentrate enforcement actions on criminally convicted immigrants.
On Thursday, federal authorities visited several Glass House Farms cannabis cultivation locations. According to local media and immigrant rights organizations, the company’s farm in Carpinteria, California, some 35 miles distant, was raided in addition to the Camarillo operation, which occupies 5.5 million square feet in Ventura County.
The business said on social media that it complied with the search warrants after Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities visited its facilities. Cannabis cultivation by licensed businesses is permitted in California.
How many government agencies participated in the operation and whether National Guard troops helped were unclear at first. Local media outlets broadcast some footage of armored military-style vehicles at the fields. The Ventura County Fire Department stated that it was not involved in any immigration action and that it had simply been sent to the Camarillo area to give medical assistance.
The F.B.I. stated that someone seemed to shoot a pistol at police officers during the altercation close to Camarillo, and it offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information that would result in that person’s conviction.
Several people were arrested for obstructing the operation, according to Central District of California U.S. attorney Bill Essayli, who warned on social media that those who interfered would be taken into custody and prosecuted with a federal felony.
Requests for information made outside of business hours were not immediately answered by the Homeland Security Department or ICE.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic Representative Salud Carbajal harshly slammed Thursday’s raids, claiming that he attempted to enter the Carpinteria region where ICE was operating but was turned away.
In a statement, Mr. Carbajal criticized what he called a concerning lack of transparency, saying that this was totally unacceptable.
