200 arrested, one dead in chaos at California cannabis farm immigration raid

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested approximately 200 people without permanent legal status during immigration raids on Thursday at two cannabis farms in California, which left one person dead.

“We can confirm that a farm worker has died of injuries they sustained as a result of yesterday’s immigration enforcement action,” the United Farm Workers (UFW) wrote in a Friday post on the social media platform X.

In an earlier post on Friday, the labor union said workers at the farm, including U.S. citizens, were held by the authorities for hours as they executed criminal warrants.

“US citizen workers report only being released after they were forced to delete photos and videos of the raid from their phones,” the union said.

DHS did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment regarding the fatality, but the federal agency said in a Friday statement that more than 500 protesters, who gathered in the area, attempted to “disrupt" law enforcement operations. Four U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting or resisting officer, DHS said.

Agents were recorded using less lethal ammunition and tear gas on people. One individual, according to officials, fired a gun at officers during protests after the raids.

Many Republicans on Friday applauded the federal operation while Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, bashed the move amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration across the country.

"Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields," he wrote on social media Thursday. "[President] Trump calls me 'Newscum' — but he’s the real scum.

In a Friday statement, officials said that 10 children without documentation were identified during the two immigration operations in Camarillo and Carpinteria, Calif., at farms owned and operated by the Glass House Brands Inc.

Customs and Border Patrol commissioner Rodney Scott said on Thursday that the company is now under investigation for child labor violations.

Glass House, in response, stated it never intentionally hired underage workers.

Local organizers and labor leaders said the arrests would only lead to more turmoil. 

“It is unfortunately not uncommon for teenagers to work in the fields. To be clear: detaining and deporting children is not a solution for child labor,” UFW said in a statement. “These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families.”

The raids follow months of unrest in California, particularly in and around Los Angeles, in response to the administration's efforts to increase deportation numbers.