Federal immigration enforcement escalated sharply Thursday as ICE agents, backed by National Guard troops, executed high-profile raids on two state-licensed marijuana nurseries in Southern California. The operation, carried out in Carpinteria (Santa Barbara County) and Camarillo (Ventura County), targeted properties operated by Glass House Farms, a major cannabis grower in the region.
To recap:
– Federal agents conduct massive op at Camarillo marijuana farm.
– Politicians push false narrative food workers & children are being raided.
– Feds disclose they have criminal judicial warrant for harboring aliens.
– Protester appears to shoot gun at agents.
-…— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 11, 2025
The enforcement action quickly spiraled into chaotic confrontations with migrant-rights activists and local officials. Protesters flooded rural roadways after videos and reports of the raids spread online. In at least one instance, tear gas and smoke canisters were used to disperse crowds, and one man reportedly fired a handgun in the direction of federal agents during a clash in Camarillo, according to KABC-TV.
It’s a weed farm, Jimmy. And they were serving a criminal warrant.
Why are you lying? https://t.co/YGqN0E7ysS
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 11, 2025
The raids resulted in the detention of around 100 farmworkers, based on local television reports. At the Carpinteria site, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) attempted to access the scene in his capacity as a member of Congress but was denied entry. Carbajal later posted on social media that more than 50 ICE agents participated in what he described as a “militarized raid targeting farm workers.”
This was a raid on a weed farm that was using illegal child labor.
The only thing we can take from this is that Newsom supports using illegal child labor. https://t.co/xAGN7Hua3V
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 11, 2025
Video footage from the standoff showed heavily armed agents in military-style gear facing off against angry crowds waving signs and yelling. Protesters reportedly tried to block roads, and at least one city council member sustained an arm injury during the skirmish.
NEW: Protester appears to have fired a gun at federal agents in Ventura County, California as agents were conducting an immigration raid.
Protesters say they were being hit with paintball guns which prompted this man to pull out what appears to be a real gun.
“We were speaking… pic.twitter.com/3XmhXiXEiE
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 11, 2025
Glass House Farms, which markets itself as one of the fastest-growing vertically integrated cannabis producers in the U.S., confirmed that ICE agents served warrants at its facilities. In a post on X, the company said it “fully complied” and would provide updates as necessary.
NEW: Anti-ICE scum trying to stop Federal Agents in Camarillo CA are getting crushed—tear gassed, body slammed, face planted into the dirt & thrown from vehicles they cling to.
Sweeping force is a consequential deterrent. pic.twitter.com/7l5yFiir3G
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) July 10, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, issued a terse response:
“DHS law enforcement is executing a warrant at a marijuana facility. Our brave officers will continue to enforce the law.”
Thursday’s action comes amid a confusing series of policy shifts from the Trump administration regarding immigration enforcement on farms. On June 14, President Trump ordered ICE to halt raids on farms. That position was reversed within days, and by early July, Trump stated that farmers could vouch for their workers, but no formal protection or process was put in place. Days later, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins declared there would be “no amnesty” for illegal farmworkers.
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. The shooting occurred on 7/10/25 at approximately 2:26pm on Laguna Rd between Wood Rd and Las Posas Rd.… pic.twitter.com/XG94sTQEVR
— U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) July 11, 2025
Roughly half of all U.S. farmworkers are estimated to be in the country illegally. Industry leaders have long warned that mass deportations would cripple agriculture, threatening both production and the food supply chain. California’s billion-dollar cannabis industry, heavily dependent on manual labor, is particularly vulnerable.
