A brief video posted to social media shows a worker running through rows of crops in Oxnard, California, with two uniformed men, presumably federal immigration agents, close behind. Moments later, he falls to the ground, and a white van is seen speeding through an open field to assist.
The footage, shared by a flower vendor on Instagram, was recorded Tuesday as the Department of Homeland Security continued its operations in Southern California, raiding businesses and gathering places for day laborers as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan.
The raids have led to protests in several Southern California communities, including Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Paramount and Pomona, where agents have been sweeping up suspected immigrants without coordination with local authorities in recent days and weeks.
“These actions are completely unjustified and harmful,” Oxnard Mayor Luis McArthur said in a video posted to Facebook. “They create chaos and distress in our community without contributing much to public safety.”
McArthur’s video also included a message from the city’s police chief who, like many of his counterparts in the region, explained that local police do not participate in federal immigration enforcement.
Still, the raids have sent shockwaves through the Latino community in this heavily agricultural region of California. Ventura County’s fruit and nursery stock fields generated over $2.17 billion in 2023, according to the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s office, much of it thanks to immigrant workers.
“The individuals affected by the operations – they’re not criminals. They are hardworking families who make meaningful contributions to our local economy and to our greater community,” McArthur said.
Also on Tuesday, United Farm Workers, a labor union founded by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, called on local employers to protect employees by “hardening” their worksites.
“Employers should train all staff to understand their rights and the requirements needed to enter the property such as a signed judicial warrant,” the union wrote. “Employers should have a plan in place to defend their workers’ civil rights.”
The Associated Press reported that more than 100 people had been detained since Friday. The Trump administration insists many of them are hardened criminals.
“The American people should know some of the individuals we picked up on these ICE operations: child rapists, child molesters, murderers, convicted arsonists, truly the worst of the worst on the streets,” Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of DHS, told Fox News Channel. “ICE will not be deterred … we will keep going. We will only ramp up ICE operation and we continue to get these criminals off of our streets.”
