Editor’s note: affiliate KTLA reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment multiple times prior to publication. As of publishing, DHS has not responded. KTLA will update this article with any new information as it becomes available.
An immigration raid at a farm in Ventura County, California, escalated on Thursday afternoon when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began firing tear gas on a crowd that had started to gather by the operation.
Sky5 launched toward the Glass House, located at 645 Laguna Road in Camarillo, after reports came in around 11:25 a.m. regarding a large federal law enforcement presence in the nearby fields, with witnesses saying agents were detaining workers. Another operation was also seen in progress at the Glass House’s location in Carpinteria.
At the location in Camarillo, KTLA’s Rich Prickett reported seeing roadways blocked on both north and southbound Laguna Road and protesters gathering on the front lines.
The scene escalated at around 12:35 p.m. when tear gas was seen being deployed into the crowd. Paramedics were requested to the scene for what authorities called a multi-casualty incident (MCI), according to Prickett, for multiple injuries.
At about 1:40 p.m., Sky5 had a view of at least 30 people sitting against a wall, with their hands cuffed together and brown paper bags in front of their feet. More detainees were seen around the area, possibly waiting to be taken to a detention center. It was not immediately clear whether any of the detainees were protest-related arrests.
While protesters were clashing with law enforcement at the scene of the raid, paramedics set up a triage system nearby for individuals injured from the tear gas. Prickett reported that the paramedics could not set up closer to the scene due to ongoing hostility.
KTLA spoke with Ventura County District 5 Supervisor Vianey Lopez live on air, who described the incident as a “very unfortunate situation.”
“What is happening is that there are hundreds of people on site, potentially undocumented individuals who are being questioned and interrogated,” said Lopez. “At this point, we don’t know how many people have been detained.”
However, Lopez pointed out that she received reports that two vans, each carrying about 15 people, were seen leaving the location. “It is an ongoing situation that is very concerning for the safety of those showing up with anger and disappointment at what is happening to hard-working people in our community.”
This is a developing story.
