Federal immigration agents sweep Ventura County cannabis farm

Federal immigration agents were carrying out immigration sweeps in Ventura County Thursday, prompting a standoff between authorities and immigrant rights groups. Videos shared on social media show nearly a dozen agents using less-lethal ammunition on a crowd that had gathered near the intersection of Laguna and Wood roads, just outside of a location in the 600 block of Laguna Road targeted by federal agents, according to an Instagram post by 805 Immigration Coalition. In the video, people can be heard cursing at the agents as they cough from the gas and are pelted by rounds of less-lethal ammunition. Approximately 500 people gathered near the farm to protest, according to Angel Marie with the 805 Immigration Coalition, a volunteer organization. "We have reports that U.S. citizens are being detained," Angel Marie, who declined to give her full name, said in a phone interview. "Everyone that was working in the warehouse is now being detained by the federal agents. It's a giant factory and a lot of people who live in the area have family who work here, that's why there is such a large presence out here right now." Aerial views of the scene taken by news helicopters showed dozens of workers, many of them men, sitting in the shade alongside a warehouse, with federal agents standing guard. At least one person was being held at gunpoint after they tried to take out their phone and record the raid, according to Angel Marie. Protesters blocked the roads in and out, and at one point federal agents drove their vehicles through the fields. Multiple ambulances have gone in and out of the facility, but it's unclear if anyone was injured, Angel Marie said. Sarah Armstrong, outreach chair with Americans for Safe Access, said it appears that Homeland Security and the U.S. National Guard were at the location firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters. She was alerted to the raids because the property, Glass House Farms, is connected to the cannabis industry, she said. It wasn't immediately clear to her if the officials showed a search warrant to the operators. Lucas Zucker, co-executive director of Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, or CAUSE, said on Thursday that the organization had staffers on the ground after reports of a raid at Glass House, but he asked them to leave once federal agents started deploying tear gas. The area is largely vast, remote farmland, Zucker said, and the use of rubber bullets and tear gas on a small crowd was “pretty unusual.” “I don't think there's any credible case that they were under threat,” he said, describing the scene as “a small crowd of community members … in pretty remote agricultural areas.” He added that Glass House has been targeted by immigration authorities in the past couple of months, including when federal agents began conducting workplace raids in the region in June. Numerous videos on social media showed agents chasing after farmworkers and making mass arrests at farms. Zucker said Ventura County saw a drop in worksite raids after an intense week in June, when community members mobilized to the fields and began patrolling farmlands. For the past few weeks, he said, they’ve received reports of raids in more suburban areas, including Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks. This raid represented the first major workplace raid in the region since then. In a social media post, Oxnard Mayor Luis McArthur said he is "in communication with emergency services to ensure that safety personnel are on standby and ready to provide immediate assistance if necessary." "While this matter is taking place outside the jurisdiction of Oxnard, I am increasingly mindful that many of the facility’s employees are likely from Oxnard and are seeking refuge in their vehicles amid the high temperatures, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of those individuals," he said. He then commented on the broader strategy apparent from the raids across the Southland. "It is becoming increasingly apparent that the actions taken by ICE are bold and aggressive, demonstrating insensitivity towards the direct impact on our community. These actions are causing unnecessary distress and harm. I remain committed to working alongside our Attorney General and the Governor’s office to explore potential legal avenues to address these activities." This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.