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A tense situation arose during a major immigration raid at a significant cannabis farm in Ventura County, California, on Thursday morning. Federal officers in full tactical gear deployed tear gas and fired projectiles into a mix of demonstrators and farmworkers.
The incident took place at Glass House Farms in Camarillo shortly after 11am. The operation was characterized as abrupt and assertive by witnesses, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials blocked streets and swiftly entered the site.
Within a short time, smoke engulfed the area, resulting in at least three hospitalizations, while several people were taken into custody amidst the chaos as surprised observers sought refuge.
Video from the scene showed ICE agents clashing with a crowd of more than 100 people – many of them farmworkers or their family members – who formed a human blockade along the road.
Federal agents responded with force, deploying smoke canisters and what appeared to be less-lethal munitions.
Some protesters were hit in the face and body. Others had to douse their eyes with milk to counteract the effects of gas.
The raid by ICE in Ventura County came as a complete surprise and saw smoke bombs being hurled at protesters and arrests being made.
The sprawling cannabis operation, one of the largest in the state, was quickly sealed off with yellow crime scene tape marked ‘U.S. Border Patrol.’
Several federal immigration agents were seen clashing with protesters during a raid at a agricultural farm in Ventura County Thursday morning.
Suddenly smoke grenades were seen being thrown by ICE agents leading to white smoke to fill the air around where the standoff was taking place
There were scenes of chaos on the ground as the standoff suddenly erupted into violence
The standoff was tense and at times violent standoff surrounded by fields lined with crops.
On one side of the road dozens of armed and masked federal agents could be seen lining up in tactical gear.
On the other, more than 100 protesters, including farmworkers, community members, and family members of those believed to be targeted.
Footage posted by the 805 Immigrant Coalition showed agents forming a blockade while demonstrators shouted expletives and refused to back down.
Suddenly, plumes of green and white smoke erupted over the fields.
Smoke grenades were thrown though with witnesses saying it was ICE agents who started the conflict.
‘There was just smoke everywhere. People were running. It looked like war,’ said Adrian Garcia, 25, a former worker at the farm who raced to the site after hearing his cousin was inside to the Desert Sun.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this on a farm.’
Federal agents block a road leading to the farm where ICE conducted an operation as tear gas was used to disperse protesters, in Camarillo, California
The protest had initially been peaceful but once ICE agents lined the roadway the atmosphere changes
Smoke bombs were deployed by ICE agents who came prepared with their gas masks and goggles
Witnesses say ICE agents threw smoke grenades sparking further chaos
As the protestors moves away they were closely followed by ICE agents
Agents fired projectiles into the crowd, striking at least one person in the face, according to eyewitness accounts. Others were hit in the torso and legs.
Tear gas canisters were stomped out by protesters as others poured milk on their faces to try and calm the effects.
First responders declared a mass casualty incident. Fire and medical crews from Oxnard and Ventura County treated several people and transported three to nearby hospitals.
Ventura County Fire spokesperson Andrew Dowd confirmed emergency personnel were dispatched solely for medical aid and had no involvement in the federal operation.
Among the crowd were relatives of undocumented workers caught in the chaos.
Jessica Lopez said she received a call from her husband around 9:30am.
Various colors of smoke bombs could be seen filling the air
From the air the remote rural location of the encounter can be clearly be seen
A person walks away from tear gas as ICE agents block a road leading to an agricultural facility
A woman holds a cellphone and covers her face as ICE agents used tear gas against her
A protester gestures as ICE agents block the road leading to the farm
‘He told me ICE was inside. He said he was hiding,’ she said. ‘He hasn’t broken any laws. He just works here to support us.’
Dalia Perez of Oxnard said her undocumented mother has worked at Glass House for more than 30 years.
‘Upset. Helpless,’ she said, describing her emotions. ‘She hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s a mother. She’s a worker.’
By 2pm, a white ICE bus escorted by what appeared to be a National Guard vehicle rolled down Laguna Road, believed to be transporting detainees.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet confirmed the number of people taken into custody.
Ventura County Democratic Party Chair Steve Auclair condemned the operation in harsh terms. His mother, who was present at the scene, was struck by a gas canister and hit by a projectile.
‘This was a military attack on our community,’ Auclair said. ‘First they came for the farmworkers. Now they’re coming for all of us.’
United Farm Workers president Teresa Romero echoed such concerns.
‘There’s no good reason to do this to agricultural areas,’ she said. ‘These workers are living in panic every single day. And now they’re under siege.’
