Federal immigration authorities appear to be expanding their footprint in southern California. The Los Angeles Times reports "farm fields and packinghouses from the Central Coast to the San Joaquin Valley" saw immigration agents turn up on Tuesday, an about-face from the largely hands-off approach officials had taken to the state's farming communities thus far in the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security broadly said raids occurred in the southern part of the state, but the FBI Los Angeles confirmed on X that it "and partner agencies conducted immigration enforcement operations in the Ventura County area today in support of" ICE.
The Times reports it's unclear how many arrests were made. It's believed at least half of the estimated 255,700 farmworkers in California are undocumented, and ABC7 adds Ventura County's $2 billion agriculture industry is heavily reliant on migrants year-round. The Times shares a variety of anecdotes, reports, and video evidence to back up its report.
- The CEO of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, for instance, told the paper that immigration agents turned up at five packing facilities and at least five farms in Oxnard Plain on Tuesday, though they were not granted access in all cases.
- An exec with the United Farm Workers confirmed "an uptick in the chaotic presence of immigration enforcement, particularly the Border Patrol."
- In a statement, Democratic Reps. Julia Brownley and Salud Carbajal cited "disturbing reports of ICE enforcement actions in Ventura County ... where agents have reportedly stopped vehicles, loitered near schools, and attempted to enter agricultural properties and facilities in the Oxnard Plain." They added: "These raids are not about public safety. They are about stoking fear. These are not criminals being targeted. They are hardworking people and families who are an essential part of Ventura County."
(More
California stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
