(Dave Mason, The Center Square) At least 361 illegal immigrants were arrested at raids at marijuana farms north of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The department released its latest number of arrests Sunday for the raids conducted Thursday at Glass House Farms sites in Camarillo in Ventura County and Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County.
“As Secretary [Kristi] Noem stated, this is quickly becoming one of the largest operations since President [Donald] Trump took office,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s spokesperson, in a statement.
Homeland Security said federal agents faced “more than 500 rioters” during the raids. The larger protest took place in Camarillo, where the Ventura County Fire Department responded to calls for medical aid and the United Farm Workers reported several workers suffered critical injuries. UFW said one of those workers died from the injuries.
One protester at the Camarillo raid appeared to be firing a pistol at federal agents in a video broadcast by Los Angeles area TV station ABC7. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the individual’s arrest.
The illegal immigrants arrested by federal agents included “violent and dangerous” people, Homeland Security reported Sunday in a news release. The department listed examples of three arrested people who were previously convicted of rape, attempted rape, kidnapping, attempted child molestation, driving under the influence, property damage and burglary.
Agents from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol “rescued at least 14 migrant children from what looks like exploitation, forced child labor, and potentially human trafficking or smuggling while facing assault and even gunfire,” McLaughlin said.
Democrats representing Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in Congress criticized Thursday’s raids.
U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Thousand Oaks, demanded answers about the legal basis and execution of the Camarillo raid, as well as its community impact, in a letter to Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
“The farmworkers detained in these raids are clearly in the United States to fill jobs that employers cannot otherwise fill,” Brownley said in a news release. “Their undocumented status is not by choice, but a direct result of Congress’ ongoing failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would allow a sufficient number of workers into the country and provide a viable pathway to citizenship.”
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said he was at the marijuana farm in Carpinteria, a short distance south of the city of Santa Barbara, when the raid took place. He accused federal agents of using “disproportionate displays of force against local farm workers and our agricultural community.”
“As a member of Congress and representative of the Central Coast, I have the right to conduct oversight and see first-hand what ICE was doing here,” Carbajal said in a statement. “As soon as I walked up, I was denied entry and was not allowed to pass. This was completely unacceptable.”
The Center Square reached out to Homeland Security Monday for its reaction to Brownley’s and Carabajal’s comments, but did not get an immediate response.
The department Monday said illegal immigrants arrested nationally over the weekend included sexual predators, pedophiles and child abusers.
“Over the weekend, our brave ICE agents arrested monstrous illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes including rape of a child, sexual assault and possession of child pornography. ICE is putting their lives on the line to keep America’s children and families safe,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Yet, they are now facing a nearly 700 percent increase in assaults against them as gutter politicians attempt to attack and demonize our brave law enforcement. This is sick. We will only double down in getting these dangerous criminals off of our streets.”
