Federal agents raided two California cannabis farms July 10, arresting dozens of undocumented workers and uncovering disturbing instances of child labor involving minors as young as 14. The raids sparked mass protests, with one individual reportedly firing on law enforcement officers.
The early morning operation targeted Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria. Backed by National Guard troops, immigration authorities executed warrants for illegal employees and detained undocumented workers, according to FOX News.
Ten minors were found at the Camarillo site, eight of whom were unaccompanied. Authorities have launched a formal investigation into child labor violations at the site.
“These are the juveniles found in the marijuana facility – almost all unaccompanied, one as young as 14,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott confirmed on X. “California are you ready to partner with us to stop child exploitation?”
As agents carried out the operation, hundreds of protestors converged. By midday, demonstrators had blocked Laguna Road, prompting federal officers to deploy tear gas and smoke bombs.
Violence erupted when someone reportedly opened fire on officers. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted footage of the incident and said the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for help identifying the shooter.
According to the Los Angeles Times, five people were hospitalized as a result of the unrest.
The raid coincides with a national shift in public sentiment on the topic of immigration enforcement.
A Gallup poll released July 11 indicates a record 79% of Americans now say immigration is good for the country, including 64% of Republicans — up sharply from 39% last year. Support for reducing immigration has dropped from 55% in 2024 to just 30% this year.
At the same time, controversy has surrounded the recent opening of a remote detention facility in the Everglades called “Alligator Alcatraz.” It is designed to serve as a hub for detaining, processing, and deporting up to 5,000 illegal immigrants, CatholicVote previously reported.
The facility drew backlash after branded merchandise from the site appeared online. One viral post called it a “merchandising opportunity” profiting off of the “disappearing, kidnapping and torturing of others.”
Some Catholic bishops have also raised concerns about immigration enforcement activity. Two bishops recently issued dispensations from Sunday Mass obligations for parishioners fearful of immigration raids.
Still, the discovery of unaccompanied minors working in California cannabis fields has raised urgent questions about their safety and whether federal agencies failed to protect them during the previous administration.
Trump Border Czar Tom Homan told FOX News July 10 that recent immigration enforcement activity is meant to protect public safety.
“We’re looking for over 300,000 missing children,” he said. “We’ve already found 10,000… This should be a non-partisan issue.”
Homan was referencing the Biden administration’s handling of unaccompanied migrant children. During President Joe Biden’s term at the White House, more than 300,000 children were released into the US — many of them placed with sponsors who were not properly vetted.
In April 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused the department of becoming “a collaborator in child trafficking for sex and slavery.”
Homan, a practicing Catholic, has consistently argued that stronger immigration enforcement is a critical solution to protecting vulnerable migrant children.
“Over half a million children have been trafficked into the United States,” he said last fall. “We need to save these children.”
Last month, the Trump administration published a list of several criminal illegal immigrants arrested during ICE’s Los Angeles raids. Among them were individuals convicted of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child cruelty, and drug trafficking.
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Author: Elise DeGeeter
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