Protesters and federal agents clash during raid at Southern California
farm
[July 11, 2025]
By AMY TAXIN
A confrontation erupted Thursday between protesters and federal
officials carrying out a raid on a Southern California farm, with
authorities throwing canisters that sprayed what looked like smoke into
the air to disperse the crowd.
Vehicles from Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
blocked the road in a largely agricultural area of Camarillo lined with
fields and greenhouses. There were military-style vehicles and a
helicopter flying overhead.
Television images showed dozens of demonstrators gathered on a road
between fields where uniformed officers stood in a line across from
them. In other images, white and green smoke can be seen as protesters
retreat. Other images showed protesters shouting at agents wearing
camouflage gear, helmets and gas masks. It wasn’t clear why the
authorities threw the canisters or if they released chemicals like tear
gas.
Another image from KTLA showed people sat against a wall with their
hands bound in front of them; it wasn't clear if they were workers or
protesters. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said
they were executing a warrant at a marijuana facility.
Glass House Farms said on social media that it was visited Thursday by
officials for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and “fully complied
with agent search warrants.”
It's legal to grow and sell cannabis in California with proper
licensing. State records show the company has multiple active licenses
to cultivate cannabis.
The company also has a permit to grow in Ventura County, and as of last
year used half of the space for cannabis while half was dedicated to
tomatoes and cucumbers, the Ventura County Star reported.
Judith Ramos said she received a call Thursday morning from her father,
who worked in the tomato fields.
“He said immigration was outside his job, and if anything happened to
take care of everything,” Ramos said, her voice cracking.
The 22-year-old certified nurse assistant said she has two young
siblings.
Ramos went to the farm and saw a busload of people being taken out. She
was protesting alongside others when agents sprayed the deterrent.
[to top of second column]
|
Demonstrators hold a flag in front of federal agents blocking a road
during an immigration raid in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Michael
Owen Baker)
“They didn't want us to get any closer, and they started firing,”
Ramos said. “I got some in my eyes. I had to put milk on my face.”
Ramos said she does not know where her father is and had not had
contact with him for more than an hour. His truck is still at the
worksite, she said.
It was not immediately known which agencies participated in the
raid.
The incident comes as federal immigration enforcement agents have
ramped up arrests in Southern California, heading to car washes,
farms and Home Depot parking lots to take people into custody while
stoking widespread fear among immigrant communities.
The Trump administration has had the National Guard providing
protection to federal immigration agents carrying out the raids, and
this week it sent a large caravan with guns and horses to a park in
Los Angeles.
Andrew Dowd, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department,
said they were dispatched around 12:15 p.m. Thursday to the area to
provide emergency medical aid. Crews took three people to nearby
hospitals, he said, and the incident is ongoing.
Dowd said he had no information on the types of injuries or medical
emergencies sustained, and he did not have any details of the people
sent to hospitals. He said he had no information on what law
enforcement was doing there.
___
Associated Press writer Janie Har in San Francisco and freelancer
Michael Owen Baker in Camarillo, California, contributed.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
