California farm raids shape up to be the biggest since January, Trump administration says

By JULIE WATSON AMY TAXIN and OLGA R RODRIGUEZ Associated Press Federal functionaries now say they arrested more than people at two Southern California marijuana farms last week characterizing the raids as one of the largest operations since President Donald Trump took office in January One farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof during the chaotic raids on Thursday after the Department of Homeland Defense executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria northwest of Los Angeles What happened During the raid on the Camarillo site crowds gathered seeking information about their relatives and to protest immigration enforcement Bureaucrats clad in military-style helmets and uniforms faced off with the demonstrators and people ultimately retreated amid acrid green and white billowing smoke Glass House Brands is a major cannabis company in California that started a decade ago with a greenhouse in the Santa Barbara County area of Carpinteria Federal immigration agents talk to Rebecca Torres second left after she tried to block a military bicycle during a raid in the agriculture area of Camarillo Calif Thursday July AP Photo Michael Owen Baker The company stated it later expanded buying another facility in the Ventura County neighborhood of Camarillo that included six tomato and cucumber-growing greenhouses Glass House converted two of them to grow cannabis according to the company s website Relatives of workers at the Camarillo site revealed tomatoes are still also grown at the location Arrest numbers keep rising The federal establishment initially announced that chosen people suspected of being in the country illegally were arrested Then on Saturday Homeland Protection Secretary Kristi Noem stated people were arrested and declared on X it was rapidly becoming one of the largest operations since President Trump took office Milk is poured on a protester s face after federal immigration agents tossed tear gas at protesters during a raid in the agriculture area of Camarillo Calif Thursday July AP Photo Michael Owen Baker A day later the arrest numbers according to the Department of Homeland Measure were up to from the two locations The cabinet noted four of the arrested had prior criminal records including convictions for rape and kidnapping One death communicated from the raids A farmworker who fell from a greenhouse roof during the raid at the farm in Camarillo died Saturday of his injuries Jaime Alanis is the first known fatality during one of the Trump administration s ongoing immigration enforcement operations Yesenia Duran Alanis niece ratified his death to The Associated Press She posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe that her uncle was his family s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to a wife and daughter in Mexico Alanis worked at the farm for years his family stated He called his wife in Mexico and recounted her he was hiding from federal agents during the raid Thursday A clinician stated his relatives the ambulance crew who took him to a hospital revealed he fell about feet Duran mentioned Related Articles US imposes a duty on fresh Mexican tomatoes Trump administration says it won t publish major conditions change review on NASA website as promised How Trump plans to dismantle the Learning Department after Supreme Court ruling MAGA faithful are angry about the Epstein episode Here s what to know Supreme Court allows Trump to lay off nearly Coaching Department employees Why was the business raided The establishment says it is analyzing foreseen child labor human trafficking and other abuse Initially DHS noted immigrant children were on the property They later increased that number to Bureaucrats declined to share the warrant for the operation The administration has published no additional information about the children including their ages and what they were doing on the property when personnel arrived DHS has not provided details to back up its claim of viable trafficking or other abuse and the company has not been charged with anything It was unclear if any of the minors were the children of farm workers at the sites or if they came to the U S without an adult Federal and state laws allow children as young as to work in agriculture under certain conditions according to the U S Department of Labor In California children as young as can work on farms outside of school hours while those as young as can work during school hours if they are not required to attend school the agency mentioned on its website No one under the age of is allowed to work in the cannabis industry The California Department of Cannabis Control conducted a site visit in May and observed no minors on the premises a spokesman declared After receiving a subsequent complaint the state opened an inspection to ensure full compliance with state law U S citizens were among those arrested Four U S citizens were arrested during the raids for allegedly assaulting or resisting officers according to DHS and personnel were offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents Among those arrested was California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello U S Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X Essayli disclosed Caravello was arrested for throwing a tear gas canister at law enforcement and was to appear in court Tuesday The California Faculty Association commented Caravello was taken away by agents who did not identify themselves nor inform him of why he was being arrested The association stated he was then held without being able to contact his family Caravello was attempting to dislodge a tear gas canister that was stuck underneath someone s wheelchair spectators stated KABC-TV the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles Separately the federal Bureau of Prisons revealed George Retes was in their custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles from Thursday to Sunday Retes family communicated KABC-TV on Sunday that he is a U S citizen works as a defense guard at the farm in Camarillo and is a disabled U S Army veteran They explained Retes was trying to drive away during the clashes between protesters and agents when an officer stopped him broke his car window and shot pepper spray before dragging him out of his car and arresting him Retes sister Destinee Maga a described the television station on Sunday that the family had been trying to get in touch with her brother Federal agents thought he was supposedly part of the protest but he wasn t he was trying to reverse his car Maga a mentioned Neither Retes nor Maga a responded to emails Monday from The Associated Press seeking comment