Undocumented kids found during raid of Ventura County farm: DHS

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - A confrontation erupted Thursday between federal immigration agents and protesters during a raid on a cannabis farm in Ventura County. Several people - including undocumented minors - were reportedly detained in the operation. 

The raids happened simultaneously at Glass House Farms in Camarillo and another Glass House facility in Carpinteria, located about 35 miles north in Santa Barbara County. 

What we know:

SkyFOX was over the scene in Camarillo where dozens of vehicles from Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection blocked the road in a largely agricultural area lined with fields and greenhouses. 

Images showed dozens of demonstrators gathered on a road between fields where uniformed officers stood in a line across from them. In other images, white and green smoke can be seen as protesters retreat. Other images showed protesters shouting at agents wearing camouflage gear, helmets and gas masks.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ICE agents, protesters clash during raid at Ventura County cannabis farm

United States Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed the operation in a post to X. 

"Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm," he wrote. "Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense." 

Essayli later shared a video showing what appears to be a man firing at federal agents.  

"[The] FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo," he said. "The shooting occurred on 7/10/25 at approximately 2:26 p.m. on Laguna Rd between Wood Rd and Las Posas Rd." 

Footage from SkyFOX showed multiple people detained as several men were sitting in the corner. Around 2:27 p.m., a U.S. Marshal Services bus was seen leaving the farm. 

"@ICEgov and @CBP law enforcement rescued 8 unaccompanied migrant children from what looks like exploitation, violation of child labor laws and potentially human trafficking or smuggling," the DHS posted on X. "We take our responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected."

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott posted on X that 10 undocumented minors at the Camarillo farm, eight of them unaccompanied, were found and Glass House is now under investigation for child labor violations. 
"This is Newsom’s California," he added.  

By 6 p.m., the National Guard was on the scene and established a skirmish line to help with crowd control. 

Just before 8 p.m., DHS officials reposted video originally shared on X by Gov. Gavin Newsom, in which he references President’s Trump’s "Newscum" nickname for the governor and then calls the president "the real scum."  

"Why are there children working at a marijuana facility, Gavin?" DHS’s post reads.  

Local perspective:

First responders with the Ventura County Fire Department responded to the scene to render medical aid. According to officials, four people were taken to local hospitals and three others were assessed and treated on scene. 

Ventura County fire officials said in a statement that their presence was "solely to provide medical aid" and that the department "has no connection with any federal immigration enforcement actions." 

Carpinteria immigration raid

What we know:

Rep. Salud Carbajal said another immigration raid also occurred Thursday in Carpinteria. Carbajal said he attempted to see first-hand what ICE was doing in the area but was denied entry and was not allowed to pass the perimeter line. 

He said about 50 federal agents, fully armed and in military gear, were on the property of a nursery. He said they deployed flash and smoke devices. A piece of shrapnel from one of those devices hit a young child who was in the crowd. 

Carbajal released a statement following the enforcement operation in which he described a "troubling lack of transparency" from the Department of Homeland Security since the Trump Administration began its high-profile immigration busts in California. 

"I will be demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security to find out who they detained and where the detainees are being taken," the statement reads in part. "These militarized ICE raids are not how you keep our communities safe. This kind of chaos only traumatizes families and tears communities apart." 

Glass House Farms said on social media that it was visited Thursday by officials for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and "fully complied with agent search warrants."

The company also has a permit to grow in Ventura County, and as of last year used half of the space for cannabis while half was dedicated to tomatoes and cucumbers, the Ventura County Star reported.

What they're saying:

In a statement on X, Glass House acknowledged it received verified immigration and naturalization warrants and that the company complied. 

"Workers were detained and we are assisting to provide them legal representation. Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors," Glass House said. "We do not expected this to affect operations moving forward." 

What we don't know:

It's unclear how many undocumented workers and protesters were detained. 

Dig deeper:

The incident comes as federal immigration enforcement agents have ramped up arrests in Southern California, heading to car washes, farms and Home Depot parking lots to take people into custody while stoking widespread fear among immigrant communities.

The Trump administration has had the National Guard providing protection to federal immigration agents carrying out the raids, and this week it sent a large caravan with guns and horses to MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• ICE agents, protesters clash during raid at Ventura County cannabis farm
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Earlier this week, Los Angeles County, along with eight local cities, announced on Tuesday that they're joining a lawsuit against the Trump administration, calling federal agents' tactics "unconstitutional," arguing that they're more meant to instill fear than to protect the public.

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