About 200 immigrants were arrested in raids on two farms in Southern California. Authorities say

Camarillo, Calif. (AP) – Federal immigration authorities said Friday they arrested about 200 immigrants suspected of illegally lying in the country at two California marijuana farm sites. Protesters had a tense standoff with authorities at one of the farms during the operation.

Authorities executed criminal search warrants Thursday in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The statement said they arrested migrants suspected of illegally in the country, with at least 10 immigrant children at the scene.

The department said four U.S. citizens were arrested for “attacking or resisting officers.” Authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information, resulting in the arrest of a person suspected of shooting at federal agents. At least one worker was seriously injured.

During the raid, groups of people gathered outside the glass house farm in Camarillo, asking for information about their relatives and protesting immigration enforcement. A chaotic scene appeared outside the farm, growing tomatoes, cucumbers and marijuana as authorities wore helmets and uniforms faced with protesters. Then, the thrilling green and white rolling smoke forced community members to retreat.

The Glass House, a licensed California marijuana grower, said in a statement that immigration agents had valid arrest warrants. The company said workers were detained and it was helping them provide legal representation.

“The Glass House has never intentionally violated applicable recruitment and has never and never hired minors,” the statement said.

It is legal to grow and sell marijuana in California with proper licensing. State records show that the company has multiple active licenses to cultivate marijuana.

Workers are hospitalized in autumn

About twenty people were waiting outside the Camarillo farm on Friday to retrieve their loved one’s cars and talk to the manager about what happened. Jaime Alanis, a relative who worked on the farm for 10 years, said he called his wife in Mexico during the raid and told her that the migrant agents had arrived and that he was living in other people on the farm.

“The next thing we hear is that he’s in the hospital,” Alanis’s brother-in-law Juan Duran said in Spanish, his voice ruptured.

It is not clear how Alanis was injured. A doctor told the family that others who brought Alanis to the hospital said he had fallen off the roof of the building.

His niece Yesenia said Alanis had a fractured neck, a skull fracture and a ruptured artery, drawing blood into the brain.

“They told us he wouldn’t do it, goodbye,” Yesenia cried.

The hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Confrontation with the authorities

After immigration agents arrived at the Glass House farm in Camarillo on Thursday morning, workers called their families to let them know that the authorities were there. Relatives and advocates headed to a farm about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles to try to find out what was going on and began protesting outside.

Federal authorities formed a line that blocked the roads to the farmland access to the company’s greenhouse. Protesters were seen yelling at agents wearing camouflage gear, helmets and gas masks. The rolling smoke drove the protesters to retreat. It is unclear why authorities threw the jar away or whether they released chemicals such as tear gas.

Ventura County fire authorities responded to the call for 911 calls, which had difficulty breathing, saying the three were taken to a nearby hospital.

At the farm, agents arrested workers and removed them by bus. Others, including U.S. citizens, were detained at the scene for several hours while the broker conducted the investigation.

The incident occurred when federal immigration agents were intensified in Southern California with car cleanings, farms and Home Depot parking lots, which caused widespread fear in the immigrant community.

Federal Investigation

In a statement Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said an investigation into immigration and potential child labor violations on farms is underway. No further details were provided about the allegations.

Hundreds of protesters attempted to sabotage the operation, resulting in the arrest of four Americans, the agency said.

“We will prosecute anyone who attacks or Dax federal law enforcement to the fullest extent of the law,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Immigration and customs enforcement, as well as customs and border protection, are part of the action, the statement said.

Family members search answers

Relatives of other workers said they received a similar call Thursday. The mother of an American worker said her son held the worker’s cell phone for 11 hours and told her agent to hold the worker’s cell phone to prevent them from calling family members or filming, and forced them to wipe out the agent’s cell phone videos on the spot.

The woman said her son told her agent to mark the men’s hands with ink to distinguish their immigration status. She spoke to the Associated Press on anonymity because she was concerned about the government’s revenge.

United Farm workers said in a statement that some U.S. citizens have not considered it yet.

Maria Servin, 68, said her son worked on the farm for 18 years and helped build a greenhouse. She said she spoke with her undocumented son after hearing about the raid and offered to pick him up.

“He said don’t come because they were surrounded and there was even a helicopter. That was the last time I talked to him,” said the American citizen Spaniard.

She said she went to the farm anyway, but federal agents were shooting tear gas and rubber bullets, and she thought the accommodation was unsafe. She and her daughter returned to the farm Friday and were told her son had been arrested Thursday. They still don’t know where he is.

“I’m sorry 1,000 times I didn’t help him get the documents,” Selding said.

_____

Taxin reported from Orange County, California, and Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.