(AFP) – A farm worker was in critical condition on Friday, his family said, after being injured during a raid by US immigration agents on a legal cannabis farm in California that resulted in the arrests of 200 undocumented migrants and clashes with protesters. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called demonstrators involved in attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “slimeballs” and said they should be arrested.
In another development, a district judge ordered a halt to “roving patrols” in Los Angeles by federal agents who were detaining suspected undocumented migrants without probable cause and denying them due process. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered an end to the arrests, which she said were being made “based upon race alone,” on whether a person was speaking Spanish or English with an accent, or because of their place of work.
Trump’s remarks and the court order come a day after a chaotic raid on a cannabis plantation in Ventura County, some 56 miles (90 kilometers) from Los Angeles, left one farm worker critically injured. The United Farm Workers labor union had said in an X post on Friday that the worker had “died of injuries they sustained as a result of yesterday’s immigration enforcement action.” But the family on a GoFundMe page said he was in critical condition and unlikely to survive.
“He was chased by ICE agents, and we were told he fell 30ft (9 meters). My uncle’s life is in critical condition; doctors have told us he won’t make it. His injuries are catastrophic. His heart is still beating.” The Ventura County Medical Center, which told ABC News that he was in critical condition, did not respond to AFP calls for more details.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman, said he was never in custody. “Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet,” McLaughlin said. “(Customs and Border Patrol) immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
The DHS said 200 undocumented migrants were arrested during raids on marijuana growing sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo on Thursday, and 10 children were rescued “from potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking.” Glass House Brands, which owns the farms, said in a statement that it has “never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.”
DHS said more than 500 “rioters” had attempted to disrupt the operation, and four US citizens are facing charges for assaulting or resisting officers. Tear gas was used against the protesters, some of whom were seen in television footage throwing projectiles at law enforcement vehicles. The department said immigration agency vehicles were damaged, and a $50,000 reward was being offered for the arrest of an individual who allegedly fired a gun at law enforcement officers.
**Showdown**
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had watched footage of “thugs” throwing rocks and bricks at ICE vehicles, causing “tremendous damage.” Trump said he was authorizing law enforcement officers who are “on the receiving end of thrown rocks, bricks, or any other form of assault, to stop their car and arrest these SLIMEBALLS, using whatever means is necessary to do so.”
“I am giving Total Authorization for ICE to protect itself, just like they protect the Public,” he said. Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to deport millions of migrants, has been involved in a showdown over immigration enforcement with Democratic-ruled California for weeks. The Republican president sent thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles last month to quell protests against roundups of undocumented migrants by federal agents.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the troops were not necessary to address the mostly peaceful protests, but his legal efforts to have them removed have failed so far. The cannabis farm in Camarillo was calm during a visit by an AFP reporter on Friday as workers waited in line to collect their belongings and paychecks.
“We’ve been here since six this morning asking questions, but they’re not giving us any information,” said Saul Munoz, a 43-year-old Colombian whose son was detained on Thursday. “I just want to know how he’s doing. Bring him back to me, and if it’s time for us to leave, we’ll leave.”
“The truth is the American dream is no longer really the American dream.” – Paula RAMON
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