US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a cannabis farm in Camarillo, California, which was met with disruptive protests from reportedly dozens of protesters who observed the ICE operations from nearby. A masked man even shot a firearm into the air in the direction of the ICE agents, for which he is wanted for $50,000.
The farm, called Glass House, allegedly uses minors for its operations, one of the reasons behind its raid by ICE. The owner of Glass House, which produces legal cannabis, said in a statement Friday that it has “never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.”
Other protesters, who shouted and threw rocks at the agents, were shot at with canisters and less-than-lethal rounds by ICE.
The actions of the protesters have become a point of disdain from ICE and the DHS. US “Border Czar” Tom Homan condemned the protesters, calling them criminals and likening them to Nazis:
“What happened in California is just another example of protesters becoming criminals, and they’ve been emboldened by even members of Congress who compare ICE to Nazis and racists and terrorists,” Homan told Fox News.
“It is becoming increasingly apparent that the actions taken by ICE are bold and aggressive, demonstrating insensitivity towards the direct impact on our community,” wrote Luis McArthur, Mayor of Oxnard, California, on X. “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.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X his concern, prompted by the ICE raids: “Kids [were] running from tear gas, [and] crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields.”
According to CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, there was child labor taking place on the farms, who were “all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations.”
“California prosecutes child exploiters and traffickers. Trump tear-gasses children, rips them from their parents, and deports farmworkers. Priorities,” Newsom wrote in response to Scott’s post about the child labor allegations against the farm.
