Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) is facing serious accusations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a July 10 incident in which an ICE agent was injured during a raid on a marijuana grow site in California. According to DHS officials, Carbajal’s actions during the operation led to the ICE agent being targeted and ultimately hospitalized.
The raid, carried out in a California sanctuary jurisdiction, resulted in the arrest of more than 360 illegal aliens and the rescue of 14 migrant children. As ICE agents conducted the operation, they were met by a crowd of roughly 500 individuals who attempted to interfere. Among them was Rep. Carbajal.
DHS reports that an ICE Public Affairs Specialist handed Carbajal a business card, which Carbajal then allegedly displayed to the crowd. Officials believe this act effectively identified the ICE agent to the agitators. Moments later, the agent was struck by a rock thrown from the crowd, suffering lacerations to his hand that required emergency medical treatment and stitches.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin issued a forceful rebuke of Carbajal’s conduct:
“The actions by Representative Carbajal are downright un-American. He dares to claim that his actions were simply congressional oversight, but doxing ICE personnel and inciting a mob of rioters to attack law enforcement is not oversight — it’s abominable.”
McLaughlin further emphasized the broader danger posed by elected officials encouraging direct action against law enforcement:
“It’s no wonder that ICE agents are facing a 700% increase in assaults when radical members of Congress like Salud Carbajal and LaMonica McIver are openly encouraging and leading their supporters in assaulting law enforcement.”
Carbajal has not yet responded publicly to the DHS allegations.
The incident follows the recent indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), who was caught on camera in June storming an ICE detention facility in Newark. McIver now faces federal charges for forcibly impeding ICE officers during an arrest operation outside the center.
The Biden administration has largely remained silent on the increasing number of assaults on ICE agents. According to internal DHS data, 2024 has seen a 700% spike in attacks on federal immigration officers since January.
The Department of Justice has not confirmed whether Carbajal will face criminal investigation or formal charges, but the implications of a sitting congressman being linked to an assault on federal agents could elevate the matter beyond internal DHS review.
