ICE Raids Two Cannabis Farms in California

Community Responds With Protest, Gets Tear-Gassed

On Thursday morning, federal ICE agents raided two cannabis farms located on California’s Central Coast. Both farms are owned by Glass House Farms. One is in Carpinteria, in Santa Barbara County. The other is in Camarillo, in Ventura County. According to various reports and news articles, dozens of ICE vehicles showed up at both farms around the same time.

Shortly after the raids began, people in the community came out to protest. At the Camarillo site, the protest grew rather quickly. By then, some farmworkers had already been detained and then bu early afternoon, things escalated. National Guard troops were deployed to the location and tear gas canisters were used on the crowd. Rubber bullets were fired. Videos show people running, shouting, and picking up rocks to throw back. Paramedics set up a triage area to help those affected by the gas.

At least 30 people were seen in handcuffs at the farm. Witnesses say two vans drove away with about 15 detainees in each. By the middle of the day, around 500 people had gathered to protest in Camarillo. Protesters also showed up at the Carpinteria location.

Congressmember Salud Carbajal went to the Carpinteria site to observe what was happening, but says ICE would not let him in. He described the raids as using too much force and said this kind of action just traumatizes families and communities. He also said ICE has lacked transparency for years and that these kinds of raids do not actually make anyone safer.

Here is the bigger picture. ICE is targeting workplaces where undocumented immigrants are likely to be employed. These cannabis farms are legal under state law but still illegal under federal law. That gives ICE an excuse to get involved. The workers being detained are part of a workforce that props up California’s huge agriculture industry. Many of them are paid low wages for hard labor, and then punished by the same system that depends on their work.

This is not about public safety. It is about control. The raids are meant to scare people and show that no matter how essential your work is, the state can still come for you. It is a form of labor discipline and racial punishment.

This is part of the larger system we live under. Undocumented labor is used when it is convenient, then criminalized when it is not. And even in a "progressive" state like California, violent federal enforcement still happens.

People showed up to resist, and they were met with force. That tells you a lot about what kind of system this is.