Federal immigration authorities expanded their enforcement operations into California’s agricultural regions on Tuesday, causing alarm among workers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeted farm fields and packinghouses from the Central Coast to the San Joaquin Valley, areas that had previously seen little enforcement activity under the Trump administration.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the raids led to panic among farmworkers, with reports of agents arresting dozens of immigrant workers in Ventura and Tulare counties. Video footage showed workers fleeing as ICE agents detained them in the fields. Elizabeth Strater, vice president of the United Farm Workers, noted an increase in immigration enforcement activities, particularly by the Border Patrol, across multiple areas.
The raids in California are part of a broader strategy by ICE to intensify its focus on agriculture and food processing facilities nationwide. DTN Progressive Farmer reported similar enforcement actions in Nebraska, where ICE agents arrested nearly 100 workers at a meat processing plant. These operations align with demands from President Donald Trump’s administration to increase daily arrests and address the high volume of undocumented workers in the agricultural sector.
The expanded ICE activities have sparked protests and fear among immigrant communities. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass imposed a curfew following days of protests against the raids. The expanded expedited removal policy under the Trump administration allows ICE to deport non-citizens who have been in the U.S. for less than two years without a court hearing, raising concerns about due process.
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