ICE raids marijuana farms in California
Federal agents conducted immigration enforcement raids on state-licensed marijuana nurseries in coastal Southern California, leading to confrontations with angry protesters. The raids occurred at two locations operated by Glass House Farms, one in Carpinteria and another in Camarillo, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, accompanied by National Guard troops in military-style vehicles, executed search warrants.
As news and video footage of the raids spread on social media, dozens of migrant-rights activists gathered in the area, resulting in tense standoffs with federal agents on rural roadways. Reports indicated that approximately 100 farmworkers were detained during the immigration sweep, and tear gas was reportedly used against protesters during one encounter.
Glass House Farms, which describes itself as one of the fastest-growing vertically integrated cannabis companies in the U.S., confirmed that ICE officials visited its greenhouse sites and stated that the company fully complied with the search warrants. An attorney representing workers at Glass House noted that the nurseries had been previously visited by ICE in June.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, confirmed that law enforcement was executing a warrant at a marijuana facility, emphasizing their commitment to enforcing the law. The Trump administration's stance on the deportation of farmworkers has fluctuated recently, with conflicting messages regarding the treatment of undocumented agricultural workers.
While Trump initially ordered ICE to halt enforcement activities on farms, this position was reversed shortly after. The agricultural sector has expressed concerns that mass deportation of farmworkers, who make up about half of the U.S. agricultural workforce, could severely disrupt the nation's food supply chain. Previous raids in California had already left crops unharvested and created an atmosphere of fear among farmworkers and operators regarding future enforcement actions.
