ICE raids at California marijuana farms spark protests in Camarillo as federal agents detain workers, fire tear gas. Photo/X.
ICE Raids in Camarillo: Federal agents launched immigration enforcement raids Thursday at state-licensed marijuana nurseries in Camarillo, a coastal agricultural region of Southern California. The raids sparked protests and snowballed into confronatation between federal officials and a growing crowd of migrant-rights protesters.
The two sites which were raided belonged to Glass House Farms, a company operating in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County, and Camarillo in Ventura County. Carpinteria is about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, while Camarillo lies roughly 50 miles from the city.
After the news and video footage of the ICE raids circulated widely on social media,migrant-rights activists started to arrive at the locations in vehicle and join the protestors. They confronted immigration agents in the middle of rural roadways, leading to tense stand-offs, according to reports.
Protesters were seen yelling and making angry gestures at armed federal agents clad in helmets and face masks. The agents blocked roads with yellow crime-scene tape. Tear gas was reportedly used by federal authorities during the encounters.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted the raids accompanied by National Guard troops traveling in military-style vehicles. An attorney representing workers at Glass House Farms confirmed that both nurseries had already been visited by ICE agents in June. The National Guard’s presence during Thursday’s raids preceded the arrival of protesters.
Glass House Farms described itself on the social media platform X as “one of the fastest-growing vertically integrated cannabis companies in the U.S.” The company acknowledged the ICE visits in a statement on X, saying: “The company fully complied with agent search warrants and will provide further updates if necessary.”
According to the reports, around 100 farmworkers were detained in the immigration raid before protests began. Cops even fired tear gas shells as the cconfrontations intensified.
Salud Carbajal, a Democrat representing the Carpinteria, in the US Congress, was denied access to the raid site. Also, one of two city council members present sustained an arm injury amid a clash between protesters and law enforcement, according to the reports.
The Trump administration has altered its policy on farmworker deportations several times in recent weeks. On June 14, President Trump ordered ICE to halt enforcement actions on farms, only for the agency to reverse that decision days later.
On July 3, Trump indicated a willingness to allow migrant workers to remain if farmers could “vouch” for them. Shortly afterward, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins declared there would be “no amnesty” for farmworkers facing deportation.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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