The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said more than 300 people were arrested Thursday in two immigration enforcement projects on farms in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
DHS secretary Kristi Noem announced on Saturday that federal agents had arrested 319 people during an operation at Glasshouse Farm near Camarillo and Carpinteria.
“I have just been given an update on Thursday’s operations at a marijuana facility in California. @DHSGOV law enforcement rescued 14 children from potential forced labor, exploitation and human trafficking. They arrested 319 illegal aliens. Office,” Noem wrote.
The DHS said law enforcement activities are part of an investigation into immigration and potential child labour violations.
The family was searching for a loved one on Friday after hundreds were detained during an immigration enforcement raid on a Camarillo farm. Karma Dickerson reports NBC4 News at 5pm on July 11, 2025.
During a standoff that lasted for hours near Camarillo, agents clashed with protesters on a road surrounded by the community’s vast farms northwest of Los Angeles. According to DHS, four people were arrested on suspicion of attack or resisting.
The video showed several white vans and at least one US former s service bus on-site, as well as those found in other immigration enforcement businesses in Southern California. Details about where the detained individual was filmed were not available immediately.
The FBI also issued a $50,000 reward to anyone armed with a gun that appears to have fired in one of the altercations. No injuries related to the shooting have been reported.
Details of the claims included in the warrant were not immediately available, but DHS said the information will be made public as the investigation continues.
“In California’s marijuana facility, ICE and CBP law enforcement agencies rescued at least 10 migrant children from what appears to be exploited, forced child labour, potentially trafficking or smuggling. Our law enforcement also arrested nearly 200 illegal aliens.” “During the operation, violent upset fired guns at brave officers. Sanctuary politicians are demonizing ice and CBP while ice and CBP officials are attacked by rioters and dodged bullets to save children.
Glass House Farms said on social media that he was visited by staff on Thursday for immigration and customs enforcement and “complied with the agent’s search warrants.” State records show that the company has multiple active licenses to grow cannabis in California.
The United Farm Workers Union said it is aware of reports of child labour on the site.
“The UFW is also aware of reports of child labour on the ground. The UFW is calling for immediate promotion of independent legal representation for minor workers and demanding that they be protected from further harm,” the union said in a statement. “Farm workers are excluded from the Basic Child Labour Act. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for teens to work in the fields. To be clear: detaining and deporting children is not a solution to child labour.”
Several states, including California, have agricultural and child labor laws that differ from federal regulations. In California, the U.S. Department of Labor says the minimum age for off-school farming is 12, but the state also has a set of rules regarding cannabis cultivation, including an age requirement of 21.
Details regarding the ages of children found on the farm were not immediately available.
Several people were injured during the operation, including a farm worker who fell 30 feet from the roof during immigration enforcement in Ventura County.
The man was hospitalized in dangerous conditions after suffering from a broken neck, a fractured skull and an amputated artery, nie said. He was admitted to the Ventura County Medical Center, where he remains in a critical state, his family says.
In response to Thursday’s business, Gavin Newsom’s office issued a statement.
“Instead of supporting businesses and workers who drive our economy and lifestyle, Stephen Miller’s tactics evoke chaos, fear and fear within our community at every turn,” Newsom’s office said. “At Miller’s direction, Trump’s agents continue to detain American citizens, racially introduce Americans, tore families apart, wipe out parents and workers, and become a cruel federal detention center to deal with voluntary arrest assignments.”
“We will prosecute offenders who break the Child Labour Act. You will pose for photos and gas on children and promote these laws,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said on Friday in response to X’s post on allegations of child labor violations.
Federal immigration enforcement agents have stepped up arrests in Southern California, operating in car washes, farms and car parks for home improvement stores. The Trump administration has revitalized the National Guard to protect federal property and staff, with several security guards and vehicles seen near Camarillo.
Over 55,000 immigrants across the country have gained ice custody over the past six months, according to data compiled by NBC News. Approximately 28% have been criminally convicted, and about 25% have been pending criminal charges. Approximately 47% were listed as “other immigrant violators.”
California has 10.6 million immigrants, more than any other state, according to the California Institute of Public Policy. The Pew Research Center estimates that 1.8 million immigrants in California have not been documented in 2022, down from 2.8 million in 2007.
At least half of California’s estimated 255,700 farmers have not been documented, according to UC Merced Research.
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