A farmworker has died from accidents he sustained in immigration raids on two California hashish farms, as United States authorities confirmed they arrested 200 staff after a tense standoff with protesters.
The United Farm Staff advocacy group confirmed the loss of life of Jaime Alanis, who was injured after a 30-foot (nine-metre) fall throughout one of many raids, in a submit on X on Friday.
“We tragically can affirm {that a} farm employee has died of accidents they sustained because of yesterday’s immigration enforcement motion,” it mentioned.
Federal immigration authorities confirmed on Friday that they’d arrested about 200 immigrants suspected of being within the US illegally in raids on Thursday at two hashish farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo, Southern California.
The Division of Homeland Safety mentioned in a press release that additionally they discovered at the least 10 immigrant kids through the raids who have been rescued from “potential exploitation, pressured labour, and human trafficking”.
The assertion mentioned 4 US residents had been arrested for his or her position in violent confrontations between brokers and protesters. Authorities are additionally providing a $50,000 reward for info resulting in the arrest of one other particular person suspected of firing a gun on the federal brokers.
“Through the operation, greater than 500 rioters tried to disrupt operations. 4 US residents are being criminally processed for assaulting or resisting officers. The rioters broken autos, and one violent agitator fired a gun at legislation enforcement officers,” the assertion mentioned.
One of many raids noticed immigration brokers clad in military-style helmets and uniforms storm Glass Home Farms – a licensed hashish grower which additionally grows tomatoes and cucumbers – in Camarillo on Thursday.
Brokers confronted off with the demonstrators exterior the farm, as crowds of individuals gathered to hunt details about their family and to oppose the raids.
Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fireplace Division, mentioned at the least 12 folks have been injured because of the raid and protest.
Through the raid, Alanis, who had reportedly labored at Glass Home Farms choosing tomatoes for 10 years, referred to as his household in Mexico to say he was hiding from authorities.
“The following factor we heard was that he was within the hospital with damaged fingers, ribs and a damaged neck,” mentioned Juan Duran, Alanis’s brother-in-law, in accordance with The Related Press information company.
In a press release, Glass Home mentioned immigration brokers held legitimate warrants, and it’s serving to present detained staff with authorized illustration.
“Glass Home has by no means knowingly violated relevant hiring practices and doesn’t and has by no means employed minors,” the assertion mentioned.
United Farm Staff mentioned in a press release that some US residents who labored on the agency usually are not but accounted for.
The raid is the newest to happen as a part of the Trump administration’s controversial all-out marketing campaign cracking down on immigration within the US.
Since returning to the White Home, Trump has unleashed teams of immigration brokers to spherical up undocumented migrants and despatched accused gang members to a maximum-security jail in El Salvador with out due course of.
However within the wake of Thursday’s raids, Federal Decide Maame E Frimpong ordered a short lived halt to the Trump administration’s indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven California counties, together with Los Angeles.
The Friday ruling is available in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy teams within the US District Court docket final week, accusing the Trump administration of systematically focusing on brown-skinned folks throughout immigration raids in Southern California.
The submitting requested the choose to dam the administration from utilizing what they referred to as unconstitutional ways.
In her ruling, which stays in place for 10 days, Decide Frimpong agreed that “roving patrols” of immigration brokers with out cheap suspicion violated the Fourth Modification, defending people from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Fifth Modification, guaranteeing due means of legislation.
Frimpong directed brokers to cease racially profiling folks and ordered the federal authorities to make sure detainees have entry to authorized counsel.
Al Jazeera correspondent in Washington, DC, Shihab Rattansi, mentioned the case will get to the “coronary heart of whether or not we will have these marauding type of gangs of ICE brokers with none identification” sweeping folks up.
“[The plaintiffs argue there is] no possible trigger to suspect they’re breaking any type of immigration legal guidelines. And we all know lots of people who’re residents are being swept up too,” Rattansi mentioned.
