
Labor union says California university professor was taken during Camarillo immigration raid protest
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Militarized immigration raids on California farms leave one worker dead and over 200 missing
On Thursday federal immigration agents carried out two brutal immigration raids in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, which left at least one worker dead. Reports indicate as many as 200 people have been taken by the immigration Gestapo. The raids took place on property owned by Glass House Farms, which claims to be the largest marijuana grower in the world. The UFW confirmed that several farm workers were “critically injured” during the raid and that “US citizens, remain unaccounted for.” The raids mark a massive escalation in the Trump administration’s assault on the working class. These heavily militarized operations, targeting unarmed immigrant workers and their families, reveal the true character of the US government: an instrument the capitalist class that relies on armed terror to suppress and terrorize the population. The same militarized tactics used against immigrant workers today will be used against any section of the workingclass that resists the government. The fascist raids have produced mass anger throughout the region. Some 1,000 protesters are marching on Oxnard City Hall calling for the release of those detained, and for ICE to leave California.
On Thursday federal immigration agents joined by National Guard soldiers carried out two brutal immigration raids in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, which left at least one worker dead and several others hospitalized. Reports indicate as many as 200 people have been taken by the immigration Gestapo.
In a post on social media, the United Farm Workers union confirmed that a “farm worker” died of injuries “sustained as a result of yesterday’s immigration enforcement action.”
In a GoFundMe, Yeseni Duran said her uncle Jaime Garcia, “was chased by ICE agents and we were told he fell 30 [feet].” In an interview with ABC 7, Garcia’s family confirmed he had broken his neck and skull.
Duran wrote that her “uncle Jaime” was “just a hard-working, innocent farmer. He has his wife and daughter waiting for him.”
Jaime Garcia [Photo: Yesenia Duran]
Duran wrote that her uncle lived in Mexico with his family but worked in the US to help provide for them. “He was his family’s provider. They took one of our family members. We need justice. We are still investigating what happened. More details to come.”
In an expression of the massive anger the fascist raids have provoked among large sections of the population, less than 24 hours after the GoFundMe for Jaime was established it has already exceeded its $50,000 goal.
The UFW confirmed that several farm workers were “critically injured” during the raid and that “US citizens, remain unaccounted for.”
Pointing to a massive government cover-up, the UFW reported that “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 fascist raids have produced mass anger throughout the region. Carpinteria and Camarillo are both located north of Los Angeles County in the agriculture and industrial Central Coast. Between Carpinteria and Camarillo is Oxnard, the largest city in Ventura County, with over 200,000 residents. Hispanic and Latinos are by far the largest ethnic group in Oxanard, making up 77 percent of the population.
As of this writing, some 1,000 protesters are marching on Oxnard City Hall calling for the release of those detained by the immigration Gestapo, and for ICE to leave California.
The raids took place on property owned by Glass House Farms, which claims to be the largest marijuana grower in the world. While marijuana farms are legal in the state of California, they are not legal on a federal level.
The raids mark a massive escalation in the Trump administration’s assault on the working class. These heavily militarized operations, targeting unarmed immigrant workers and their families, reveal the true character of the US government: an instrument the capitalist class that relies on armed terror to suppress and terrorize the population.
Two people kneel in front of federal agents in a farm field during a heavily militarized immigration raid in Camarillo, California, Thursday, July 10, 2025. [AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker]
Witness accounts and video footage from the scenes show masked, heavily armed agents storming the Glass House Farms worksites, firing tear gas and chasing down terrified workers across the fields. Estimates indicate that as many as 200 workers were seized between the two locations. The “crime” of these workers was nothing more than selling their labor in an economy built on exploitation.
That the raids targeted agricultural workers—one of the most exploited layers of the American working class—exposes the lie that these operations are about “public safety” or “criminal aliens.” The reality is that the Trump government is targeting the working class as a whole. The same militarized tactics used against immigrant workers today will inevitably be used against any section of the working class that resists.
Despite lying claims by the Trump administration and its criminal propagandists in the Department of Homeland Security that all those taken were “illegal aliens,” multiple US citizens have been confirmed to have been kidnapped. This includes 25-year-old George Retes, a disabled US Army veteran. In interviews with ABC 7, Retes’ sister and wife confirmed that he worked on the farm as a security guard and that he is a US citizen.
Through tears Destinee Majana, Retes’ sister explained: “I thought he was part of the protests. He wasn’t. He was just trying to reverse his car. They broke his window, they pepper sprayed him, they grabbed him, threw him on the floor. They detained him. His wife has been trying to call and ask where he is. They don’t know where he is apparently.”
The California Faculty Association confirmed on Friday that one of those taken during the raid was Jonathan A. Caravello. In statement issued by CFA President Margarita Berta-Avila and addressed to Democratic Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff among others, Berta-Avila wrote the Dr. Caravello was “abducted by federal immigration authorities…approximately 5 minutes from the campus of CSU Channel Islands. Dr. Caravello is a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at CSUCI, an active member of our union, and a citizen of the United States.”
Berta-Avila wrote that witnesses saw a federal immigration agent fire a tear gas canister “in the direction of a wheelchair user lawfully overseeing immigration enforcement activities, which then became lodged underneath the wheelchair. While attempting to assist the bystander who could not see or breath, Dr. Caravello was abruptly taken down by immigration agents, dragged into an unmarked vehicle, and taken to an unknown location.
“In the hours after his abduction, CSUCI faculty, staff and students engaged in an exhaustive search for his whereabouts. Despite visiting every hospital and local police station, CFA members and Dr. Carvello’s students were unable to locate or contact him. In the early morning of July 11, 2025, we are still confirming whether Dr. Caravello is being held at the Ventura County Federal Detention Facility. His charges are still unknown.”
The statement called for the release of Dr. Caravello and all those taken by immigration agents. However, instead of appealing to the working class to fight independently for the release of the kidnapped through strike action, the CFA president only directed members to ring “our Congressmembers and legislators.”
In contrast to the impotence of the trade union apparatus, Thursday’s raid was met with independent resistance from the community. Hundreds of workers, family members, and supporters gathered at the Camarillo site, protesting the raid for more than 12 hours. At one point during the standoff, a DHS Blackhawk helicopter was forced to land in farm field to “resupply” the soldiers.
Reports and video evidence suggest that one protester may have fired a pistol at the immigration agents. The FBI has put out a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Though no agents appear to have been injured, the government itself described the Camarillo raid as a “multi-casualty event”—a direct result of the government’s own use of “less-lethal” weapons and chemical agents against civilians.
On Fox News Friday morning, Trump’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan rejected efforts by the courts to limit the immigration Gestapo’s ability to disappear whoever they want based on “probable cause.”
“Look, people need to understand ICE officers and Border Patrol, they don’t need probable cause to walk up to somebody, briefly detain them, and question them. They just need the totality of the circumstances, right.”
Through stammers and stutters, Homan declared, “They just go through the observation, you know, get articulable facts based on their location, their occupation, their physical appearance, their actions.”
Homan argued that running or simply walking away from masked immigration police conducting a raid in a public setting was enough of a pretext for the agents to detain someone on “reasonable suspicion.”
Justifying the raids, which caused the death of Jaime Garcia and has led to the mass abduction of US citizens and immigrant workers alike, Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, spouted a variation of the racist “Great Replacement Theory” during his appearance on Fox News Friday. Miller claimed the Trump administration was “liberating children” from “industrial slavery” and “sex trafficking” overseen by the “Democrat Party.”
“California and Los Angeles are waging insurrection against the federal government, they are protecting those who traffic in the suffering of children,” Trump’s neo-Nazi advisor hissed. “The Democrat Party is funneling…profits from rape, profits from exploitation, and yes, profits from murder into the hands of the cartels.”
The response of the Democratic Party only underscores their complicity. On Friday morning, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced an “Executive Directive to support immigrant communities” that does nothing to stop the raids or protect workers. Instead, it establishes a toothless “working group” led by the Los Angeles Police Department—the same force that has repeatedly defended ICE and Border Patrol as they disappear workers. This “feedback group” is a cynical maneuver to give the illusion of action while the raids continue unchecked.
The working class cannot rely on the Democrats, the trade unions or any institution of the capitalist state to defend them. The police, ICE, and the military exist to protect the interests of the ruling class—the billionaires and financial oligarchs who dominate every aspect of social and political life.
Federal Immigration Raid in Camarillo Sparks Outrage, Protests, and Alarming Reports of Abuse
A massive federal immigration raid at two Glass House Farms cannabis facilities in Southern California on July 10 led to the arrest of approximately 200 people. Among those detained was California Faculty Association (CFA) member and activist Dr. Jonathan A. Caravello, whose apparent abduction and disappearance have spurred union condemnation and demands for immediate release. At least eight people were transported to local hospitals, while four others were treated at the scene. Ten undocumented minors were discovered at the Camarillo facility, including eight who were unaccompanied. The discovery has heightened scrutiny over labor conditions at legal cannabis operations and raised questions about enforcement priorities. The operation disrupted only workplaces but not local institutions, such as Cal State LA and Oxnard. The move prompted comparisons to public health emergencies, prompting comparisons to the climate of the region, fear of immigration enforcement activity, and growing political backlash. The raid, coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and involving ICE, the U.S. National Guard, and local law enforcement support, quickly escalated into what witnesses and advocacy groups described as a militarized assault on immigrant laborers and their supporters.
Federal immigration raid arrests 200 people at Glass House Farms.
Activist and Professor Dr. Jonathan A. Caravello detained, sparking public outcry.
Protesters clash with agents, leading to use of rubber bullets and tear gas.
CAMARILLO, CA – A massive federal immigration raid at two Glass House Farms cannabis facilities in Southern California on July 10 led to the arrest of approximately 200 people, igniting public protests, allegations of abuse, and growing political backlash. Among those detained was California Faculty Association (CFA) member and activist Dr. Jonathan A. Caravello, whose apparent abduction and disappearance have spurred union condemnation and demands for immediate release.
Videos from the scene show heavily armed federal agents firing rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters near the Camarillo site. The raid, coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and involving ICE, the U.S. National Guard, and local law enforcement support, quickly escalated from a workplace sweep into what witnesses and advocacy groups described as a militarized assault on immigrant laborers and their supporters.
The United Farm Workers union reported that a worker fell several stories during the raid and was initially believed dead. Later reports confirmed the worker was critically injured. At least eight people were transported to local hospitals, while four others were treated at the scene. Authorities have not released the names of those injured.
The California Faculty Association issued a strong statement condemning what it called the abduction of Dr. Caravello and other community members. “These abductions are an attack on our constitutional rights to free speech,” the statement read. “We do not tolerate retaliation against our union members or any person who speaks out against injustice.”
The union reported unconfirmed information that Dr. Caravello is being held at Ventura Federal Detention Center on a $1 million bail. No official charges had been made public as of Friday evening. “That all these members still remain unaccounted for is unconscionable, and extremely alarming,” the union said.
In total, nearly 500 people gathered throughout the day to protest the raids. Protesters formed human blockades and attempted to halt vehicles leaving the site. Some were met with force as federal agents deployed so-called “less-lethal” ammunition into the crowd. Video footage aired by ABC7 appears to show one protester firing a gun after agents threw smoke canisters, prompting an FBI investigation into the shooting.
Ten undocumented minors were discovered at the Camarillo facility, including eight who were unaccompanied. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott announced an investigation into potential child labor violations. The discovery has heightened scrutiny over labor conditions at legal cannabis operations and raised questions about enforcement priorities.
Cesar Ortiz, whose brother was among those detained, said many workers were being held in overheated shipping containers without air conditioning. “They are taking everyone… and the truth is it’s not right,” Ortiz told a photographer in Spanish. “Here, we all have a dream. We have to give it our all.”
Sarah Armstrong of Americans for Safe Access and Angelmarie Taylor of the 805 Immigration Coalition both confirmed the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by federal personnel. Taylor said some U.S. citizens were also detained indiscriminately. “We were notified that the people working inside were all being detained, whether they were U.S. citizens or not.”
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) attempted to access the Carpinteria site but was blocked by agents. “It was disproportionate, overkill,” he said, warning that such tactics could lead to further violence. He identified himself as a member of Congress conducting oversight but was told to contact ICE headquarters.
Lucas Zucker of CAUSE, a regional labor and social justice organization, said the aggressive tactics were unjustified. “It was a small crowd of community members in pretty remote agricultural areas. I don’t think there’s any credible case that they were under threat.” Zucker noted that Glass House had been targeted before, with immigration raids increasing in frequency since June.
The operation disrupted not only workplaces but local institutions. Cal State LA announced it was moving classes online and permitting remote work due to nearby immigration enforcement activity. The move, a reflection of the climate of fear spreading across the region, prompted comparisons to public health emergencies.
Oxnard Mayor Luis McArthur said he was in contact with emergency services and warned that many Glass House employees—likely his constituents—were seeking shelter in vehicles in extreme heat. “These actions are causing unnecessary distress and harm,” he said. “I remain committed to working alongside our Attorney General and the Governor’s office to explore potential legal avenues to address these activities.”
Critics also questioned the decision to target Glass House Farms, one of the state’s largest licensed cannabis growers. “This is beyond outrageous,” said investor Marc Cohodes. “They decide to spend their resources going after a totally legal company that pays the state of California hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The company issued a brief statement acknowledging that ICE agents had executed a search warrant and that it had fully cooperated. Glass House offered no further comment, except to say it would provide updates if necessary.
Meanwhile, federal authorities are signaling more crackdowns to come. “People who continue to interfere will be arrested and charged with a federal offense,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted online. Trump border advisor Tom Homan went further, blaming lawmakers for encouraging resistance to immigration enforcement. “Protesters have become criminals,” he said.
But for many in Ventura County and across California, the raid represents something deeper: a warning about the future of democratic freedoms and the human cost of politically motivated enforcement.
As the California Faculty Association for the California State University (CSU) system concluded in its statement, “If our safety as unionized public servants in the largest institution of higher education in the United States cannot be guaranteed… then the future of California and its youth is uncertain.”
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Philosophy Professor Reportedly Assaulted & Abducted During ICE Raid on Farm
“We do not tolerate retaliation against our union members or any person who speaks out against injustice,” the CFA says. “At least one person was held at gunpoint after they tried to take out their phone and record the raid,’ according to a witness. The CFA has set up a bail fund for the professor and others who were arrested. The professor had spoken at a Camarillo City Council meeting to “defend his students from the most recent ICE raids” in the community. The incident was captured on video and posted on the internet by a member of the public.
Glass House Farms this past Thursday. According to the Los Angeles Times , the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) learned of the raids, spread the word, and protestors and others arrived on the scene. “Federal agents had already closed off access to the worksite…. [One witness] said activists were trying to prevent trucks full of detainees from leaving.”
CSU Channel Islands and Glass House Farms are both located in the Camarillo area, and reportedly several members of the CSU Channel Islands community were in attendance at the protests.
Tear gas and “less lethal ammunition” were fired at the protestors and “at least one person was held at gunpoint after they tried to take out their phone and record the raid,” according to reports, and “multiple ambulances” went in and out of the farm.
After being tackled by agents, Dr. Caravello and others were arrested. According to a statement from the California Faculty Association (CFA), there are “unconfirmed reports” that Caravello is being kept at Ventura Federal Detention Center.
The statement from the CFA denounces the arrest of Caravello and others:
We strongly condemn the abduction of California Faculty Association professor, member and activist Jonathan A. Caravello, Ph.D. and other community members terrorized and arrested by federal immigration authorities while exercising their constitutional rights to protest peacefully in Camarillo, CA on Thursday, July 10th, 2025.
These abductions are an attack on our constitutional rights to free speech. We do not tolerate retaliation against our union members or any person who speaks out against injustice. Their abduction and disappearance are part of an intentional effort, another tactic of the terror attacks at the hands of the current presidential administration on our communities. These actions further the enforcement of strict obedience to authority at the expense of our freedoms and our lives.
The CFA has set up a bail fund for Caravello; details on how to contribute are here.
Below is a video originally posted on Reddit (r/EyesOnIce), apparently narrated by a witness to the government’s attack on the protestors, that contains some footage from the event, as well as some information about Caravello, including that just the night before, he had spoken at a Camarillo City Council meeting to “defend his students from the most recent ICE raids” in the community.
(via Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò)
Tensions are rising in Southern California over immigration raids. Here’s what we know
Federal judge orders ICE to stop making arrests without probable cause. At least 200 people were arrested in two raids at legal marijuana farms in California. The raids were part of a larger crackdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. by the Obama administration. The Obama administration also signed an order aimed at protecting immigrant workers and their families from illegal immigration. The move is part of an effort to crack down on illegal immigrants in the United States. It follows a series of high-profile arrests of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers in the past few months. The crackdown has drawn criticism from President Barack Obama and others in the immigration reform movement, who say it’s a bad idea to arrest people for working in the country. It also has raised questions about the legality of the raids, which were carried out by the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the Border Patrol, which is responsible for the enforcement of immigration laws. It’s not clear if the raids will be followed up with more arrests. The Department of Justice says it has no plans to stop the raids.
After weeks of chaotic immigration raids in public and at workplaces across Southern California, a judge has granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit, requiring federal authorities to find “reasonable suspicion” to make immigration arrests in California’s central district, including Los Angeles, and preventing them from using characteristics like race or speaking Spanish as the sole basis for arrests.
The federal judge found the Department of Homeland Security has been making arrests in Los Angeles immigration raids without probable cause. The ruling comes after federal immigration agents arrested approximately 200 migrants in a pair of chaotic raids at legal marijuana farms on Thursday, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Conflicting accounts from workers and federal officials have raised a flurry of questions as DHS officials say their agents were shot at.
The developments again thrust a spotlight on a region that emerged weeks ago as an epicenter of large-scale immigration operations by the Trump administration – and of tense protests against the actions that often yielded arrests of their own.
Demonstrations were planned again Friday in Los Angeles, as labor and faith leaders and immigrant rights advocates push back against deportation operations heralded by the Republican White House. The mayor also signed an order aimed at protecting immigrant communities.
Here’s what we know about the key events of this week:
Feds and protesters clash at farms
Intense standoffs unfolded Thursday as protesters clashed with federal immigration agents carrying out raids at legal marijuana farms in California’s Ventura and Santa Barbara counties – operations similar to those at construction sites, hotels and Home Depot parking lots that have stirred widespread fear among immigrant communities.
Approximately 200 “illegal aliens” were detained during both raids in the cities of Carpinteria and Camarillo, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday. The department said it was executing criminal warrants.
During the raids, the DHS said at least 10 migrant children were “rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking.” The agency did not provide details on the particular facility or the conditions in which the children were found.
The operator of the marijuana farms, Glass House Brands, said in a statement Friday it has “never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.” CNN has reached out to Glass House for further comment on the DHS allegations.
Federal agents at both facilities were met by an estimated 500 protesters, according to the DHS. During one of the raids, a person fired a gun at officers, the agency said. A suspect has not been apprehended.
President Donald Trump encouraged ICE and Homeland Security officials in a social media post Friday to arrest protestors who throw rocks and bricks at officers or commit “any other form of assault” against officers, “using whatever means is necessary to do so.”
Injuries reported
The United Farm Workers union said multiple farmworkers were “critically injured” during the Camarillo raid, and others are “totally unaccounted for.” Fire department spokesman Andrew Dowd said eight injured people were taken to local hospitals and an additional four patients were treated at the scene.
The United Farm Workers union said earlier Friday one farmworker died after being critically injured during the raid. Later, a spokesperson for Ventura County said the farmworker was hospitalized and is still in critical condition.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the worker “was not and has not been in CPB or ICE custody.”
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medevac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible,” McLaughlin said.
CNN has attempted to reach the worker’s family for more information.
During the Camarillo raid, vehicles from Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection blocked a road lined with fields and greenhouses as military-style vehicles and a helicopter flew overhead, The Associated Press reported. Camarillo is located just over 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, about halfway between Santa Barbara and the city.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered on the road as uniformed agents in camouflage gear, helmets and gas masks stood in a line across from them, then threw canisters that sprayed what looked like smoke into the air to disperse the crowd, according to video of the encounter and AP.
A demonstrator kneels Thursday before federal agents in a farm field during an immigration raid in Camarillo, California. – Michael Owen Baker/AP
About 35 miles up the coast, a raid around the same time Thursday at a Carpinteria marijuana farm also grew tense, with smoke bombs erupting as “a crowd of outraged residents and workers confronted federal agents, some clad in military-style gear,” CNN affiliate KEYT reported.
“It was overkill,” said Congressman Salud Carbajal, a Democrat who represents the area and went to the scene to see “over 50 ICE agents … conducting this operation.”
“They were creating fear, anxiety and intimidation,” Carbajal said in a video on X. “They were dressed in military garb, clothing, military grade weapons. They were just creating an untenable, incendiary circumstance where they could have got members of the public and themselves hurt.”
A young child was hurt by shrapnel from the agents’ flash and smoke devices, he said as he held a piece of metal, adding he could not enter the farm facility.
The Camarillo incident concerned the mayor of nearby Oxnard: “It is becoming increasingly apparent that the actions taken by ICE are bold and aggressive, demonstrating insensitivity towards the direct impact on our community,” Mayor Luis McArthur wrote on Facebook, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“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.”
As to the confrontation between federal agents and anti-ICE protesters, White House border czar Tom Homan said: “You have the right to protest. I support that. But when you cross the line on impeding us, you’re going to be arrested.”
ICE swamps mostly empty L.A. park
The farm raids happened just days after dozens of federal immigration agents, along with members of the California National Guard, deployed to a mostly empty park in a Los Angeles neighborhood known for its large immigrant population, also sparking a protest – and the mayor’s scorn.
Word had spread of a possible raid before more than 90 troops and officers descended Monday on MacArthur Park, where Mayor Karen Bass watched officers on horseback and soldiers in tactical gear walk past a playground as children at a summer day camp were rushed indoors so they would not be traumatized, she told AP.
Federal agents ride on horseback Monday at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. – Damian Dovarganes/AP
Activists arrived to drive out the agents, yelling and banging on ICE vehicles. Troops and officers left after about an hour, AP reported.
It’s not clear if anyone was taken into custody during the operation. ICE does not comment on ongoing operations, its spokesperson told CNN.
“Frankly, it is outrageous and un-American that we have federal armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on in the parks,” Bass, a Democrat, said later. “There was no protest. There was no disorder that required that.”
Bass signed an executive directive Friday morning to support Los Angeles’ immigrant communities. It came in the wake of “unlawful raids conducted by the federal government,” her office announced, mentioning the one at MacArthur Park.
Trump maintains control of about 4,000 California National Guard troops and hundreds of active-duty Marines he ordered to be deployed in early June – against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom – to respond to protests in a 1-square-mile section of downtown Los Angeles against broad immigration raids.
Judge severely limits ICE raids
US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong’s Friday ruling came as part of a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration raids and conditions in federal detention centers.
The defendants, including the DHS, the FBI and the Department of Justice, are “enjoined from conducting detentive stops in this District unless the agent or officer has reasonable suspicion that the person to be stopped is within the United States in violation of U.S. immigration law,” according to the judge’s ruling.
Federal immigration authorities cannot make immigration arrests in California’s central district solely based on “apparent race or ethnicity,” “speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent,” “presence at a particular location” or “the type of work one does.”
The ruling requires immigration authorities to provide detainees at a Los Angeles immigration facility with access to legal visitation and phone calls with lawyers.
The suit, filed last week by the ACLU of Southern California on behalf of five people and immigration advocacy groups, alleges the agency overseeing ICE “has unconstitutionally arrested and detained people in order to meet arbitrary arrest quotas set by the Trump administration,” the ACLU said in a statement.
On Thursday, the plaintiffs argued the Trump administration is detaining people in Southern California based on race and conducting mass immigration sweeps without first establishing reasonable suspicion a person is unlawfully in the United States.
The government asserted federal agents initiated stops based on intelligence or “trend analysis,” not race or ethnicity.
Frimpong, a nominee of President Joe Biden, appeared skeptical, repeatedly pressing the government for evidence the arrests were based on actionable intelligence rather than targeting areas where undocumented immigrants are presumed to gather.
“It’s hard for the court to believe you couldn’t find one case with a report of why someone was targeted,” she said.
In her order, Frimpong said the administration “failed” to provide information about the basis on which they made the arrests. Frimpong ordered the DHS to maintain and provide documentation of arrests to plaintiffs’ counsel.
The ACLU of Southern California celebrated the ruling on Friday.
“No matter the color of their skin, what language they speak, or where they work, everyone is guaranteed constitutional rights to protect them from unlawful stops,” said Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney for ACLU of Southern California.
Gov. Newsom echoed that, praising the new ruling for putting “a temporary stop to federal immigration officials violating people’s rights and racial profiling.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the ruling was an “important step toward restoring safety, security and defending the rights of all Angelenos.”
LA mayor stands behind migrant community
Bass, who has fiercely opposed recent federal immigration operations, took steps Friday to strengthen the city’s response to the raids.
In her Friday directive, Bass instructed city departments to prepare plans for how city employees should respond if federal agents try to detain migrants on city property, which could include many schools.
“We’re not trying to train people or to train city departments on how to resist and break the law,” Bass said. She noted city workers would only provide entry to agents with appropriate arrest warrants. “This is for city departments, city employees to understand what their rights are, meaning that you can’t just allow people to come in and run roughshod.”
A task force will also be formed between Los Angeles Police Department and community members to discuss how to support impacted residents, Bass announced.
“The family members that are left behind don’t know whether their family members are in the city, in the state, or even in the country,” Bass said. “We also know that when these raids have been happening, it’s not just (impacting) people who are undocumented.”
The city has submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act for records regarding the dates and locations of federal immigration operations, which have so far largely been unannounced.
CNN’s Jillian Sykes, Taylor Galgano, Matthew Friedman, Samantha Waldenberg, and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
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Farm worker dies following immigration raid on southern California farm, union says
A farm worker has died following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid this week on a farm in Ventura County, California. The United Farm Workers union confirmed on Friday that one worker had died and others had been critically injured. The union said several other workers, among them U.S. citizens, were unaccounted for following the incident. ICE agents raided two farms in southern California on Thursday, where ICE agents, accompanied by National Guard troops, blocked roads accessing the farms. The Department of Homeland Security says authorities arrested roughly 200 people suspected of being in the U.s. illegally during the raids.
The union confirmed on Friday that one worker had died and others had been critically injured. The union said several other workers, among them U.S. citizens, were unaccounted for following the incident.
UPDATE: we tragically can confirm that a farm worker has died of injuries they sustained as a result of yesterday’s immigration enforcement action. https://t.co/Pq3rMmzZJR — United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) July 11, 2025
Federal immigration authorities raided two farms in southern California on Thursday, where ICE agents, accompanied by National Guard troops, blocked roads accessing the farms.
One of the farms was growing cannabis under a license in the state. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the agents were executing a warrant at the farm.
Glass House Farms confirmed on Thursday that ICE agents were present and that it “fully complied with agent search warrants.”
According to the United Farm Workers union, authorities held workers on the farm for eight hours. Some of the workers say authorities forced them to remove footage of the immigration raid from their phones before they were released.
Photos and video of the incident show protesters confronting federal agents. Agents threw canisters that appeared to release white and green smoke, while some protesters appear on video to throw rocks at vehicles carrying federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security says authorities arrested roughly 200 people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally during the raids.
RELATED STORY | Protesters and federal agents clash during raid at Southern California farm
“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” United Farm Workers union said in a statement on Friday. “There is no city, state or federal district where it is legal to terrorize and detain people for being brown and working in agriculture. These raids must stop immediately.”
President Donald Trump on Friday called on federal officials to arrest protesters who throw projectiles at federal vehicles.
“I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and Border Czar, Tom Homan, to instruct all ICE, Homeland Security, or any other Law Enforcement Officer who is on the receiving end of thrown rocks, bricks, or any other form of assault, to stop their car, and arrest these SLIMEBALLS, using whatever means is necessary to do so,” President Trump wrote on social media on Friday. “I am giving Total Authorization for ICE to protect itself, just like they protect the Public. I never want to see a car carrying a Law Enforcement Officer attacked again! AUTHORIZATION IMMEDIATELY GRANTED FOR ARREST AND INCARCERATION.”