An ICE protestor could be seen firing a gun directly towards federal agents on Thursday morning as a volatile standoff escalated at a California cannabis farm.
The moment was captured from above as a news helicopter surveyed the scene while chaos erupted down below outside Glass House Farms in Ventura County.
Just seconds after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fired smoke canisters into a crowd of demonstrators near Laguna Road, one individual could be clearly seen raising a firearm and appeared to discharge it in the agents’ direction.
The raid was part of the broad federal crackdown on undocumented workers in Southern California – but it quickly spiraled into bedlam.
Agents blocked off roads and stormed the facility in what witnesses described as a sudden and aggressive operation.
Tear gas choked the air, smoke bombs were thrown and projectiles flew.
Protesters, farmworkers, and family members scattered through the fields, many screaming, some hit, with others pouring milk over their faces to soothe burning eyes.
At least three people were taken to the hospital while dozens more were detained.
An ICE protestor could be seen firing a gun directly towards federal agents on Thursday morning, dangerously escalating an already volatile standoff at a California cannabis farm
Several federal immigration agents were seen clashing with protesters during a raid at a agricultural farm in Ventura County Thursday morning
A protester gestures as federal agents block the road during the standoff on Thursday morning
Within minutes, smoke filled the air as stunned onlookers scrambled for safety.
Video and photos from the scene showed ICE agents clashing with a crowd of more than 100 people – many of them farmworkers or their family members – who had initially formed a human blockade along the road.
Federal agents responded with force as they deployed smoke canisters and what appeared to be less-lethal munitions.
The raid by ICE in Ventura County seemed to come as a complete surprise.
The sprawling cannabis operation, one of the largest in the state, was quickly sealed off with yellow crime scene tape marked ‘U.S. Border Patrol.’
It was a tense and at times violent standoff surrounded by fields lined with crops.
On one side of the road dozens of armed and masked federal agents could be seen lining up in tactical gear.
On the other, more than 100 protesters, including farmworkers, community members, and family members of those believed to be targeted.
ICE agents were seen with non-lethal weapons including wooden batons
Oshkosh armored trucks are seen waiting to take migrants away close to the farm
Migrants could be seen scrambling away from the ICE agents after smoke bombs were hurled
Tear gas was used to disperse protesters, in Camarillo, California
Suddenly smoke grenades were seen being thrown by ICE agents leading to white smoke to fill the air around where the standoff was taking place
Footage posted by the 805 Immigrant Coalition showed agents forming a blockade while demonstrators shouted expletives and refused to back down.
Suddenly, plumes of green and white smoke erupted over the fields.
Smoke grenades were thrown though with witnesses saying it was ICE agents who started the conflict.
‘There was just smoke everywhere. People were running. It looked like war,’ said Adrian Garcia, 25, a former worker at the farm who raced to the site after hearing his cousin was inside to the VC Star.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this on a farm.’
Federal agents block a road leading to the farm where ICE conducted an operation as tear gas was used to disperse protesters, in Camarillo, California
The protest was initially peaceful but once ICE agents lined the road the atmosphere changed
Some protestors tried approaching the ICE agents on their own to make their points known
Many of the protestors could be seen filming on their cellphones
The ICE agents could be seen holding smoke canisters aloft warning protesters not to come any closer
Agents fired projectiles into the crowd, striking at least one person in the face, according to eyewitness accounts. Others were hit in the torso and legs.
Tear gas canisters were stomped out by protesters as others poured milk on their faces to try and calm the effects.
First responders declared a mass casualty incident. Fire and medical crews from Oxnard and Ventura County treated several people and transported three to nearby hospitals.
Ventura County Fire spokesperson Andrew Dowd confirmed emergency personnel were dispatched solely for medical aid and had no involvement in the federal operation.
Among the crowd were relatives of undocumented workers caught in the chaos.
Jessica Lopez said she received a call from her husband around 9:30am.
‘He told me ICE was inside. He said he was hiding,’ she said. ‘He hasn’t broken any laws. He just works here to support us.’
Dalia Perez of Oxnard said her undocumented mother has worked at Glass House for more than 30 years.
‘Upset. Helpless,’ she said, describing her emotions. ‘She hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s a mother. She’s a worker.’
By 2pm, a white ICE bus escorted by what appeared to be a National Guard vehicle rolled down Laguna Road, believed to be transporting detainees.
A protester gestures as ICE agents block the road leading to the farm
Some of the protestors could be seen hiding out in adjoining greenhouses
Border patrol agents wearing gas masks were seen were seen holding smoke canisters
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet confirmed the number of people taken into custody.
Ventura County Democratic Party Chair Steve Auclair condemned the operation in harsh terms. His mother, who was present at the scene, was struck by a gas canister and hit by a projectile.
‘This was a military attack on our community,’ Auclair said. ‘First they came for the farmworkers. Now they’re coming for all of us.’
United Farm Workers president Teresa Romero echoed such concerns.
‘There’s no good reason to do this to agricultural areas,’ she said. ‘These workers are living in panic every single day. And now they’re under siege.’
Federal agents stand guard in a field next to a road leading to the farm
Glass House Farms, which purchased the Ventura County facility in 2021, has not commented on the raid. It remains unclear what prompted Thursday’s operation, and ICE has not released a statement on the incident.
As of Thursday evening, protesters remained outside the gates of the farm. Some held signs. Others simply waited for any word of those detained.
‘We just want to know if our families are safe,’ said Dalia Perez. ‘That’s all we want. Safety. Dignity. And some kind of peace.’
The raid comes amid a wave of federal immigration enforcement operations targeting agricultural sites across Southern California.
President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January, had initially signaled a shift in tone, promising to protect farmworkers even if undocumented.
‘They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be, you know, great,’ Trump said in a June 12 statement.
‘We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back… We’re going to have an order on that pretty soon.’
One protestor shows a wound suffered as a result of being hit by a rubber bullet
It remains unclear what prompted Thursday’s operation, and ICE has not released a statement on the incident
But that apparent pivot has not slowed enforcement. Raids have been reported in multiple counties since June.
Meanwhile, cities and counties across the state are pushing back.
This week, Los Angeles County and eight other municipalities joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the tactics used by federal agents are unconstitutional.
The suit names Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi among others, accusing them of racial profiling, unlawful detentions, and violations of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.