On Friday, representatives of the farmworker’s family revealed that the individual who had suffered life-threatening injuries during a comprehensive immigration raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo has finally passed away.
“With heavy hearts my uncle has passed away,” read an update posted on the fundraising platform GoFundMe.
On July 10, a large-scale federal operation was conducted at the licensed cannabis farm, and the individual was among the hundreds of workers and demonstrators who were detained during the operation. The raid, which resulted in tense confrontations between immigration police and members of the family, has since garnered the attention of the entire nation and spurred demonstrations to take place in the downtown area of Oxnard on July 11.
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States of America, referred to the operation as one of the most significant immigration enforcement activities carried out by the Trump administration. She stated that 14 children were rescued from what is believed to be exploitation and trafficking in a post that she made on social networking platform X. She also confirmed that 319 arrests had been made.
On July 13, officials from the Department of Homeland Security had not responded to questions regarding the status of the children or the farmworker who had passed away, despite the fact that they had been asked multiple times.
Within the aftermath of the incident that occurred on July 10, the Ventura County Fire Department said that eight individuals were sent to nearby hospitals for treatment, while four others were treated at the location of the incident. There was no information made public regarding the injuries or the conditions of the patients.
The deceased farmworker was remembered by his niece, Yesenia Duran, who was the organizer of the fundraising drive. She recalled the deceased farmworker as a man who was humble and worked diligently. In the past, she had employed the term “catastrophic” to characterize his injuries.
An earlier communication from her stated, “He has his wife and daughter waiting for him,” among other things.
An official statement was issued by the United Farm Workers (UFW) later that evening. The UFW had written about the death of the farmworker earlier on Friday, but they later deleted the posting.
The post stated, “Our hearts are heavy for his grieving family,” and it was written here. We will do everything in our power to provide support for them. The fallout of this horrific raid is still being worked through with hundreds of farmworker families, and we continue to work with them.
Further condemnation of the federal response was issued by Teresa Romero, President of the United Farm Workers, particularly in reference to the charges of child labor.
“To be clear: Detaining and deporting children is not a solution for child labor,” Romero stated in his article. “These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families.”
The raid has caused outrage among advocacy groups and immigrant communities, and these communities are requesting that legal assistance be provided to the families and workers who were affected by the raid.
