Federal officials announced that around 200 workers were arrested in two raids on cannabis farms in Southern California on Thursday — likely the largest single-day immigration crackdown in the state’s history.
“On July 10, 2025, federal law enforcement officers executed criminal warrant operations at marijuana grow sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo,” reads a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “During the operation, at least 10 migrant children were rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking. Federal officers also arrested approximately 200 illegal aliens from both sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo.”
DHS says that during the operation, over 500 demonstrators congregated at the two Glass House Farms sites in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers taking workers and family members from the farms.
The protests at the Ventura County farm escalated when, at around 12:35 p.m., officers deployed tear gas and less-than-lethal rounds into crowds of protestors who had blocked roadways on both north and southbound Laguna Road. Paramedics responded to the scene and set up a triage system for people injured by tear gas at a safe distance from the ongoing operation.
United Farm Workers also issued a statement on Friday, confirming that workers were critically injured during what they described as “chaotic raids,” and noted that “other workers, including U.S. citizens, remain totally unaccounted for.”
“Our staff is on the ground supporting families,” stated the union officials. “Many workers – including US citizens, were held by federal authorities at the farm for 8 hours or more. US citizen workers report only being released after they were forced to delete photos and videos of the raid from their phones.”
The organization also described the raids as “violent and cruel,” saying they “terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” and called for an end to the immigration sweeps.
Federal immigration agents toss tear gas at protesters during a raid in the agriculture area of Camarillo, Calif., Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) 
Arturo Rangel hugs Judith Ramos whose father works at the greenhouse in the background as federal immigration agents block access during a raid in the agriculture area of Camarillo, Calif., Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)
As for the violence that ensued between agents and protesters, the DHS said that four U.S. citizens are being criminally processed for assaulting or resisting officers, and that one demonstrator allegedly fired a gun at ICE and CBP agents. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooting suspect.
“During the operation, a violent agitator fired a gun at our brave officers,” says Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “While ICE and CBP officers are being assaulted by rioters and dodging bullets to save children, Sanctuary politicians are demonizing ICE and CBP. We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who assaults or doxes federal law enforcement.”
Glass House Farms is now under investigation for alleged child labor violations, according to the DHS. The company issued a statement Friday morning, saying in part, “Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.” Glass House also noted that it is fully cooperating with ICE as per the law and that it is working to help provide the workers with legal representation. “We do not expect this to affect operations moving forward.”
United Farm Workers also mentioned that it is aware of reports of child labor on the site and said it demands legal representation for any minor workers, adding, “To be clear: detaining and deporting children is not a solution for child labor.”
McLaughlin’s comments about “Sanctuary politicians” come after a morning of statements and press conferences with local and state leaders speaking out against the large-scale operation, including comments from Gov. Gavin Newsom and action by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Trump calls me ‘Newscum’ — but he’s the real scum,” Newsom wrote on X, including a video from KTLA of protesters of the raid running from tear gas sprayed by officers in Camarillo.
In a post on X, the Department of Homeland Security responded to Newsom, asking, “Why are there children working at a marijuana facility, Gavin?” The governor later replied with another X post, saying, “We prosecute criminals that break child labor laws. You make the kids pose for photos, tear gas them, and promote laws like this,” and attached screenshots of headlines on articles about child labor violations.
Around the same time as the back-and-forth on social media, Bass held a press conference where she announced and signed a new executive directive aimed at strengthening city protections for immigrant communities in the wake of what she described as “unlawful and chaotic” federal immigration raids across the region.
Meanwhile, at the Glass House Farms in Ventura County, families and dozens of people were seen still standing outside the facility on Friday morning, hoping to reunite with loved ones who were detained or possibly still hiding.
The Camarillo raid coincided with a second federal operation at another Glass House location in Carpinteria, about 50 miles northwest. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), whose district includes Carpinteria, attempted to access that site but was turned away by agents. He later criticized what he described as a “troubling lack of transparency” from federal authorities.
“These militarized ICE raids are not how you keep our communities safe,” Carbajal said. “This kind of chaos only traumatizes families and tears communities apart.”
As for the DHS’s response to the large-scale federal immigration raid, it concluded its statement by saying, “The investigation into immigration and potential child labor violations is ongoing. Information will be released as it becomes available.”
