A large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation at a marijuana farm in Southern California spiraled into mayhem Thursday, as agents clashed with ICE protesters, deployed tear gas, and were fired upon by someone with a gun.
ICE protesters clash with agents during pot farm raid
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descended on Glass House Farms in Camarillo with a warrant targeting illegal workers.
When federal agents arrived at the state-licensed facility, they were met with immediate resistance.
A crowd of more than 100 ICE protesters, many of them farm workers and their families, formed a human barrier on the road outside the farm.
Agents, attempting to disperse the blockade, fired smoke canisters into the group.
Footage showed demonstrators scattering through plumes of gas. Overhead, helicopters buzzed low, apparently searching for migrants attempting to evade capture.
One protester was seen pulling out a firearm and appearing to shoot in the direction of federal agents.
The moment was captured from above by a news helicopter, revealing the intensity of the confrontation.
Agents responded by launching more tear gas and what appeared to be less-lethal rounds into the crowd.
“There was just smoke everywhere. People were running. It looked like war,” said Adrian Garcia, 25, a former Glass House worker who rushed to the scene. “I’ve never seen anything like this on a farm.”
The Ventura County Fire Department said four people were transported to hospitals and three others received medical attention on-site.
Luis Mc Arthur, mayor of nearby Oxnard, condemned the tactics used by ICE.
“It is becoming increasingly apparent that the actions taken by ICE are bold and aggressive, demonstrating insensitivity towards the direct impact on our community,” Mc Arthur posted online.
“These actions are causing unnecessary distress and harm. I remain committed to working alongside our Attorney General and the Governor’s office to explore potential legal avenues to address these activities.”
In a separate raid that same day, agents hit another Glass House location in Carpinteria. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., visited the scene and sharply criticized the operation.
“This is deplorable. This should not be happening on our soil,” Carbajal said in a recorded message.
“Individuals dressed like military personnel on our soil. We don’t do that in America. This was overkill. This was ridiculous. This was a bunch of crap.”
Elsewhere in the state, ICE agents were involved in a dramatic standoff at a Southern California medical clinic.
ICE protesters try to prevent agents from taking landscaper
On Wednesday, 30-year-old Denis Guillen-Solis, an alleged undocumented immigrant, was working as a landscaper outside the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center when agents attempted to arrest him.
Guillen-Solis fled into the facility, sparking a tense confrontation. Inside, video captured agents struggling with the suspect as clinic staff shouted at them to produce a warrant and leave the premises.
In the footage, Guillen-Solis clung to a door frame, crying and resisting, as two masked ICE agents attempted to drag him out.
Medical staff repeatedly demanded identification and documentation from the agents, which they allegedly did not provide.
According to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, staff members interfered with the arrest.
McLaughlin accused them of pulling an agent and Guillen-Solis inside, locking doors, blocking law enforcement vehicles, and calling local police to report a kidnapping in progress.
No arrests were made at the clinic, and it remains unknown whether any charges will be filed against its staff.
Top MS-13 gang members taken into custody
In a separate high-profile enforcement action, ICE agents in Omaha, Nebraska, arrested two illegal immigrants described as high-ranking members of the MS-13 gang.
Rene Saul Escobar Ochoa, 30, was identified by officials as a “criminal alien, known MS-13 gang member and foreign terrorist also wanted in El Salvador.”
According to ICE, Ochoa allegedly directed other gang members to carry out murders, drug trafficking, and extortion.
A second unnamed individual, also taken into custody, is said to be one of El Salvador’s top 100 most-wanted fugitives.
Both men had entered the United States illegally, according to federal officials.
“These illegal aliens didn’t just sneak into our country, they brought with them a legacy of violence, terror and death,” said Mark Zito, ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge of the Kansas City office, which oversees Omaha.
“They thought they could hide in America’s heartland, but they were sadly mistaken, not on our watch.”
