ICE Raid at Cannabis Farm: One Year Later, Lives Still Broken

You are working a regular shift at a farm in California when hundreds of armed agents in camouflage flood in, pointing guns at workers running in every direction. That is what happened on July 10, 2025, at Glass House Farms in Camarillo — and a year later, the people caught in that raid are still trying to put their lives back together. One man died. More than 200 workers were deported. And the legal battles are far from over.

What happened that day

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents detained 361 adults and 14 minors during raids on two facilities owned by Glass House Farms, California's largest legal cannabis brand. Agents used teargas, pepper spray, and armored vehicles. A 56-year-old farm worker named Jaime Alanis died after falling 30 feet from a greenhouse roof. George Retes, a US Army veteran working as a security guard, drove up for his 3 p.m. shift and was pulled from his car, pepper-sprayed, and pinned to the ground. John Caravello, a philosophy professor at California State University, Channel Islands, was arrested after throwing a teargas canister back toward agents during the protest outside. Santiago, an undocumented worker from Mexico and father of three US citizen daughters, was detained and later sent to the Adelanto detention center, where he stayed for nearly six months. DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said officers were "assaulted by rioters" and were "dodging bullets to save children," citing a suspected gunman. The agency did not comment on the individual men's experiences.

Acquittal, deportations, and a lawsuit with no clear path

Caravello faced up to 20 years in federal prison after a grand jury indicted him for felony assault in September 2025. At his April 2026 trial, body-camera footage showed an agent saying: "We'll fucking gas the shit out of them like we did earlier." The jury acquitted Caravello after two hours. Santiago was released in January 2026 after his wife's former soccer coach lent the family $10,000 for his immigration bond. He now waits for his work permit (called an EAD, or Employment Authorization Document) to be processed, wears an ankle monitor, and checks in with immigration authorities every two weeks. Retes filed a civil lawsuit in February 2026. But as UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz explains, federal officers are not covered by the 1871 civil rights law that allows people to sue local police. The Supreme Court has spent decades narrowing the right to sue individual federal agents. "It truly seems like ICE officers are behaving with absolute impunity," Schwartz said. Retes' lawyers at the Institute for Justice are using an untested legal theory to try to open a new path to accountability.

The broader fallout

Beatriz Basurto, program manager for the nonprofit 805UndocuFund, tracks ICE arrests across three counties on California's central coast. She says the vast majority of Glass House families remain separated. More than 200 workers were deported, many within days of the raid. Basurto knows of a family that has since fallen into homelessness, a nursing baby separated from his mother, and parents who were re-detained trying to cross back into the US. Genevieve Flores-Haro of the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project called the raids a "litmus test for what the federal government could get away with." Local leaders say enforcement later shifted to quieter, targeted arrests at homes, jails, and ICE check-in appointments — but two ICE-involved killings in recent weeks have raised fears of a return to large-scale violent operations.

What to do

• Know your rights at a raid. You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about your immigration status. If agents enter your home, ask to see a signed judicial warrant before opening the door.
• If you are detained, contact a lawyer immediately. Ask for an immigration bond hearing (a court proceeding where a judge decides whether you can be released while your case continues). A lawyer can argue for a lower bond amount.
• If you have a pending removal case, do not miss any court dates. Missing a hearing can result in an automatic deportation order issued in your absence.
• If you are a US citizen or legal resident who was harmed during a raid, document everything — photos, medical records, witness names — and consult a civil rights attorney about your options. Organizations like the Institute for Justice and the ACLU take cases involving federal officer misconduct.

A full breakdown of this topic — in our guide “Appealing to the BIA”.