Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers raided Glasshouse Farms, a large marijuana cultivation site in Carpinteria, California, Thursday morning, leading to a tense standoff with protesters and a deployment of the National Guard.
(Photo credit: Robin Karlsson, Coastial View News).
The raid occurred around 10:20 a.m. at the farm’s location on Casitas Pass Road. An undisclosed number of employees were detained. A second Glasshouse facility in Camarillo was also targeted, according to the 805 Immigrant Coalition.
As word of the operation spread, hundreds of people gathered near the farm, demanding the release of those taken into custody. National Guard units responded by deploying smoke devices into the crowd, with one reportedly striking Carpinteria Vice Mayor Mónica Solórzano.
“The agents felt it was necessary to throw flash-bang and smoke grenades into the crowd, despite the fact that our residents were not being disruptive or violent in any way,” said Solórzano in a statement to local media. “I was so proud to see so many Carpinterians standing peacefully in the face of tanks, armored trucks, and masked ICE and Homeland Security agents.”
(Photo credit: Robin Karlsson, Coastial View News).
Representative Salud Carbajal and City Councilmember Julia Mayer were among the local officials who arrived at the scene. Carbajal criticized the show of force, saying in an email that ICE’s actions amounted to a “disproportionate” and “militarized” response. He said he was denied entry to the raid site despite his position in Congress and pledged to keep pushing for answers.
“These militarized ICE raids are not how you keep our communities safe,” he said. “This kind of chaos only traumatizes families and tears communities apart.”
The National Guard left shortly after 1 p.m., once protesters approached with their hands raised in the air. The clash follows a series of immigration arrests earlier in the week, including the detention of two men in the parking lot of a Smart & Final and another near El Carro Park.
A city meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Carpinteria City Hall to discuss the raids and potential funding to assist the local immigrant community.
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