(Dave Mason, The Center Square) Federal agents are looking for the man who appeared to pull a gun on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a raid at a marijuana farm north of Los Angeles, where agents and several hundred protesters clashed.
Dozens of farmworkers were detained.
“FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X, with a clip of an ABC7 video of a protester with a gun. Essayli asked anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
The ICE raid was conducted Thursday at Glass House Farms, which is licensed to grow marijuana in Ventura County.
“Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm,” Essayli wrote in another post on X. “Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense.”
Border patrol agents stood in a line to block protesters, according to media reports. Protesters and children were seen in TV stations’ videos running as ICE agents threw canisters of tear gas.
“Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X. “Trump calls me ‘Newscum’ — but he’s the real scum.”
But U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott had a different take.
“Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility – all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied,” Scott posted on X. “It’s now under investigation for child labor violations.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also responded to Newsom’s post with this note on X: “Why are there children working at a marijuana facility, Gavin?”
The Center Square reached out Friday to Glass House Farms, but did not get an immediate response.
Another ICE raid took place Thursday farther north at the Glass House Farms site in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, according to media reports.
