Farmworker dies Saturday after fleeing raid this week in Southern California
Advertisement
On Saturday evening, a lawyer retained by the family through the Mexican consulate said in a text message that Alanis had died Saturday afternoon. The lawyer, Jesus Arias, added that the family decided to 'disconnect' after tests for brain function yielded 'no good results.' Arias said arrangements were being made to transfer Alanis' body to his family in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Elizabeth Strater, vice president for the United Farm Workers union, said in an interview Friday that during the chaos of the raid, Alanís 'fell 30 feet or more, and experienced devastating spinal and skull injuries.'
An official who was briefed on the situation said Alanís was from Michoacán, had been working at the farm for more than a decade and had been trying to flee from agents when he fell. He was in his late 50s.
Advertisement
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said Friday that Alanís had not been in federal custody and denied that the agents involved in the raid were the reason he climbed the greenhouse. 'Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet,' she said in a statement. Agents called for help, she added, 'to get him care as quickly as possible.'
Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department, said that eight people had been transferred to area hospitals in response to 911 calls Thursday and that four other people had been treated at the scene.
In a statement, Teresa Romero, president of the UFW, said that several farmworkers had been critically injured in the enforcement actions and that others, including U.S. citizens, remained unaccounted for. She said those citizens who were detained 'were forced to delete photos and videos of the raid from their phones' before being released.
The Trump administration last month began to aggressively target worksites in California, including farms, as it seeks to sharply bolster the number of arrests and deportations of immigrants in the country without legal permission. President Donald Trump has said that he wanted to allow some farmworkers to stay in the country legally. However, raids in agricultural areas have persisted.
Federal agents, backed by National Guard troops in military-style vehicles, raided two locations operated by Glass House Farms on Thursday. One was in Camarillo, a Ventura County town about 50 miles outside Los Angeles, and another was in Carpinteria, a town in Santa Barbara County.
Advertisement
News of the raids Thursday rapidly spread, prompting protesters and community members to rush to the scenes. Clashes broke out between hundreds of protesters and the agents.
During the confrontation in the Camarillo area, one protester was seen on video appearing to fire a pistol at officers. The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that the protester fired a gun at law enforcement officers and that the FBI was offering $50,000 for information leading to the person's arrest. The agency said four U.S. citizens were being criminally processed for assaulting or resisting officers and that the protesters had damaged vehicles.
'At least 10 migrant children were rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor and human trafficking,' Homeland Security officials said in a statement.
Glass House Farms said late Thursday that its greenhouses had been visited by federal authorities with search warrants and that the company had fully complied. It is legal for licensed companies to grow cannabis in California.
This article originally appeared in
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
25 minutes ago
- CNBC
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says Trump wants FEMA 'remade,' not dismantled
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that President Donald Trump wants the Federal Emergency Management Agency "remade" rather than dismantled entirely. "I think the president recognizes that FEMA should not exist the way that it always has been. It needs to be redeployed in a new way, and that's what we did during this response," Noem said in an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press," referring to the federal government's response to the Texas floods. Trump has previously slammed FEMA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and mused about possibly "getting rid" of the agency, which administers emergency relief. Noem, too, has previously said that the administration would eliminate FEMA. Asked on "Meet the Press" a second time whether Trump no longer wanted to end the agency, Noem reiterated that she believed the president "wants it to be remade so that it's an agency that is new in how it deploys and supports states." In the aftermath of the Texas floods, which have killed at least 129 people with 166 still missing, the administration has shifted away from its harsh rhetoric targeting the agency. Noem told reporters on Saturday that the federal response in Texas would be how Trump envisions "what FEMA would look like into the future." It's a far cry from how the president has previously targeted the agency. Just days into his second term, he said, "FEMA has really let us down, let the country down." That same day, Trump signed an order directing a "full-scale review" of FEMA. Noem also acknowledged reports from NBC News and other outlets that the secretary requires that she personally sign off on all agency spending over $100,000. "The $100,000 sign-off is for every contract that goes through the Department of Homeland Security," Noem said. "It's an accountability on contracts that go forward," Noem added. "But there was no break in contracts. Those contracts were approved as soon as they were in front of me, and FEMA knew they were fully to deploy them the instant that the local officials asked for the request." In the aftermath of the deadly floods, some Democrats have criticized the administration's response, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., going so far as to say that Noem should resign. Noem responded to Warren on Sunday, brushing off the comment with a laugh. "I don't care what she thinks," Noem said, adding there was "no" chance she would resign. Noem on Sunday responded to criticism of what the administration is calling "Alligator Alcatraz," an immigrant detention center in Florida. Some Democrats have criticized the center's conditions, with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., calling them "really appalling." Noem argued that standards at federal detention centers "are extremely high." The "Alligator Alcatraz" facility is state-managed, which Noem acknowledged. Wasserman Schultz, who visited the facility with other Florida Democrats, said that detainees were "essentially packed into cages" that held more than 30 people each. "Wall-to-wall humans," Wasserman Schultz said Saturday. Noem said she "wouldn't call them jail cells," adding, "I would call them a facility where they are held and that are secure facilities, but are held to the highest levels of what the federal government requires for detention facilities." The secretary said the administration is looking into establishing additional detention centers, and she encouraged people to "self-deport."
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Gov. Newsom, protesters target JD Vance with his family as they visit Disneyland
Protesters and even California Gov. Gavin Newsom targeted Vice President JD Vance as he visited Disneyland with his family this weekend. Sharing a video of Vance with his family at the Southern California theme park, Newsom wrote, 'Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you're tearing apart certainly won't,' in a post on X on Saturday. Some 100 to 150 protesters gathered outside the gates of the 'Happiest Place on Earth' to jeer Vance and his family on Friday and Saturday after his presence at the park was reported, according to the Orange County Register. Protests were also held in Anaheim while the vice president was in Southern California, where a number of immigration raids have taken place in recent months. Advertisement 5 JD Vance visited Disneyland this weekend with his family. Bruce/javiles / BACKGRID On Saturday, a small crowd also gathered at the Grand Californian Hotel, adjacent to the park, where Vance is believed to be staying, KTLA reports. Some of the protesters waved Mexican flags. Advertisement Vance's visit to Disneyland with his wife, Usha, and at least two of their children is a private visit and not a political one. 5 The Vice President was all smiles as he toured the California theme park. Bruce/javiles / BACKGRID The visit came one day after two major ICE raids on farms in Ventura County, with around 200 suspected undocumented immigrants detained by federal agents. One person died following the raids, while others were critically injured and some are still unaccounted for, Fox 11 reports. Advertisement Local Democrats appeared to encourage the protests targeting Vance and his family this weekend. 5 California Governor Gavin Newsom targeted Vance's visit to the Golden State. Getty Images 'I'm offended by the visit, because so many families are being terrorized by the policies from the federal government,' Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, a Democrat, told KTLA on Friday. However, local Republicans called for dialogue rather than protesting the vice president family. Advertisement 5 Protesters waving Mexican flags stood outside the hotel where the VP was believed to be staying. FOX 11 Los Angeles 'I do think it's an opportunity for us, instead of casting stones, to cast a wider net,' Orange County Republican colleague Don Wagner, told KTLA. 'We've had questions about ICE operations in Santa Ana. This could be a chance to engage rather than stay away.' 5 Usha Vance spoke to the children of serving military members before going to the theme park. Snorlax / MEGA Vance and his family flew into John Wayne Airport on Friday, when the Second Lady visited Camp Pendleton to read to the children of active duty member of the military, and talk about her summer reading challenge. Vance's motorcade, a massive security detail, were seen in the park on Friday. Video shared on X showed Vance at Disneyland Bayou Country on Saturday morning.
Politico
3 hours ago
- Politico
California farmworker who fell from greenhouse roof during chaotic ICE raid dies
The United Farm Workers reported Alanis' death prematurely late Friday. The Ventura County Medical Center later issued a statement authorized by the family saying he was still on life support. 'These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,' the UFW said recently in a statement on the social platform X. The union does not represent workers at the raided farm. The Department of Homeland Security said it executed criminal search warrants Thursday at Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria. Glass House is a licensed cannabis grower. The farm in Camarillo also grows tomatoes and cucumbers. Garcia called family to say he was hiding and possibly was fleeing agents before he fell about 30 feet (9 meters) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources. Agents arrested some 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, DHS said in a statement. Alanis was not among them, the agency said. 'This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody,' DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. 'Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.'
