Farmworker Dies After Fall During California ICE Raid

A longtime farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse while trying to escape a federal immigration raid at a California cannabis farm Thursday, drawing renewed scrutiny to enforcement tactics and their consequences in agricultural communities. The United Farm Workers union says Jaime Alanís, in his late 50s and originally from Michoacán, Mexico, suffered fatal injuries after plummeting more than 30 feet while trying to flee ICE agents at a state-licensed cannabis farm at which he had worked for more than a decade. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security insists he "was not being pursued by law enforcement" when he "climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse" and then fell, the New York Times reports.

The rep says agents called for medical help immediately after the fall, emphasizing Alanis was not in custody at the time. He was placed on life support at a nearby hospital but died the following day. The Ventura County coroner's office has yet to confirm his death, but local fire officials reported multiple hospitalizations related to the raid. The United Farm Workers claim several workers were critically injured, and others are still unaccounted for, including US citizens. Some citizens detained during the raid were allegedly forced to delete images and videos from their phones before they were released. The raid in Camarillo was one of two at Glass House Farms locations, the other one taking place in Carpinteria, a Santa Barbara County town.

Protests erupted, with at least one protester allegedly firing at officers and several people facing charges of assault or resisting law enforcement. "What happened in California is just another example of protesters becoming criminals, and they've been emboldened by even members of Congress who compare ICE to Nazis and racists and terrorists," President Trump's border czar told Fox News. Authorities said about 200 suspected undocumented immigrants were arrested, the Los Angeles Times reports. Authorities also claimed that at least 10 migrant children were rescued from suspected exploitation. Glass House Farms says it complied with the raid and noted its operations are licensed under California law.