In one of the largest coordinated immigration enforcement actions in recent years, federal agents recently raided two licensed cannabis farms in California. The raids have sparked national debate and attracted the attention of labor advocates and civil rights organizations. Now New Mexicans are wondering if something like this could happen in the Land of Enchantment.
On July 10, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents executed criminal search warrants at two marijuana farms operated by Glass House Farms in Camarillo and Carpinteria. The early-morning raids resulted in the detention of over 300 individuals, including at least 14 minors and several U.S. citizens.
Federal officials cited allegations of child labor, human trafficking and immigration violations as the reason for the raids. The move represents one of the largest single-day worksite enforcement actions in recent memory.
But the raids didn't exactly go as planned. One farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse rooftop, and several U.S. citizens were mistakenly detained. The raids were reportedly conducted without coordination with state or local officials, and critics have accused the federal government of politically motivated overreach against a regulated state-licensed industry.
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