Latest news with #Gavin Newsom
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump team defends ICE raid at California marijuana farm where children were allegedly found working
President Donald Trump's administration has defended violent immigration raids targeting cannabis farms in California, where masked federal agents discovered allegedly undocumented minors who are victims of 'exploitation' and 'potentially human trafficking or smuggling,' according to the Department of Homeland Security. The United Farm Workers union said several workers were critically injured during the raids, while other targeted workers, including a U.S. citizen, 'remain totally unaccounted for.' Agents are accused of chasing one worker who fell 30 feet from the top of a building. He was hospitalized and placed on life support, before dying from his injuries on Friday, according to the union. The raids — which sparked an intense standoff between heavily armed federal officers and dozens of protesters — were condemned by California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose office accused Trump's administration of wielding an anti-immigration agenda that has brought 'chaos, fear and terror' into communities. 'There's a real cost to these inhumane immigration actions on hardworking families and communities, including farmworker communities, across America,' his office said in a statement. Agents arrived on Thursday in military-style vehicles to execute 'criminal search warrants' inside facilities operated by Glass House Farms, according to Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. The farms span 5.5 million square feet in California's Ventura County where it is legal for licensed operators to grow cannabis. Firefighters were dispatched around 12.15 p.m. to provide medical aid. Five people were hospitalized, and four others were treated at the farm, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. In a statement on social media, Glass House Farms said it 'fully complied with agent search warrants and will provide further updates if necessary.' Video showed agents firing tear gas and crowd control munitions into a crowd of protesters near a farm house in Camarillo. Agents were also raiding another farm site roughly 30 miles away. The FBI issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a demonstrator, who appeared to fire a pistol during the melee, according to federal prosecutors. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott said agents found 10 undocumented children at the facility, including eight who were unaccompanied. It is legal in California for minors as young as 12 to work on farms but only in non-hazardous jobs and outside of school hours. Administration officials shared photos on social media showing masked agents posing with the alleged children they discovered and accused Newsom of failing to stop 'child exploitation.' 'We prosecute criminals that break child labor laws,' Newsom replied. 'You make the kids pose for photos, tear gas them, and promote laws like this,' said the governor, sharing articles about Republican-led legislation to loosen child labor laws. The workers, which included citizens, were held by federal authorities for more than eight hours. The American citizens were only released from custody if they agreed to delete video of the operation from their phones, according to United Farm Workers. The union also is demanding the 'immediate facilitation' of legal representation for minors at the facility. 'Farm workers are excluded from basic child labor laws and it is unfortunately not uncommon for teenagers to work in the fields,' the group said. 'To be clear: detaining and deporting children is not a solution for child labor.' The Trump administration's 'violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,' the union said. 'There is no city, state or federal district where it is legal to terrorize and detain people for being brown and working in agriculture. These raids must stop immediately.' The federal operation on Thursday was the latest in a series of immigration raids that have rocked communities across California and drawn federal lawsuits to stop them. Workplace raids spiked after the administration rescinded previous ICE policy that prohibited enforcement actions in sensitive locations such as places of worship, schools and hospitals. Under apparent pressure from the agricultural sector, which is made up of roughly 40 percent noncitizen workers, Trump has considered limiting enforcement actions on farms and developing a program for temporary work permits. But the president's border czar Tom Homan has said there will be 'no amnesty' for undocumented workers. The Trump administration has deployed officers across federal law enforcement agencies to focus on immigration enforcement, with a directive from the White House to make at least 3,000 daily arrests — a quota that immigration attorneys say will almost certainly result in 'collateral' arrests that could tear apart families and communities with mixed legal status. The president has also approved a record-breaking budget to hire more ICE officers and expand immigration detention center space across the country, making the agency one of the most expensive law enforcement agencies in the world, with a budget larger than most countries' militaries. More than 57,000 people are currently held in ICE custody, or roughly 140 percent more than its detention capacity. A vast majority of those immigrants do not have criminal records and 93 percent have not been convicted of any violent crime.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump team defends ICE raid at California marijuana farm where children were allegedly found working
President Donald Trump's administration has defended violent immigration raids targeting cannabis farms in California, where masked federal agents discovered allegedly undocumented minors who are victims of 'exploitation' and 'potentially human trafficking or smuggling,' according to the Department of Homeland Security. The United Farm Workers union said several workers were critically injured during the raids, while other targeted workers, including a U.S. citizen, 'remain totally unaccounted for.' Agents are accused of chasing one worker who fell 30 feet from the top of a building. He was hospitalized and placed on life support, before dying from his injuries on Friday, according to the union. The raids — which sparked an intense standoff between heavily armed federal officers and dozens of protesters — were condemned by California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose office accused Trump's administration of wielding an anti-immigration agenda that has brought 'chaos, fear and terror' into communities. 'There's a real cost to these inhumane immigration actions on hardworking families and communities, including farmworker communities, across America,' his office said in a statement. Agents arrived on Thursday in military-style vehicles to execute 'criminal search warrants' inside facilities operated by Glass House Farms, according to Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. The farms span 5.5 million square feet in California's Ventura County where it is legal for licensed operators to grow cannabis. Firefighters were dispatched around 12.15 p.m. to provide medical aid. Five people were hospitalized, and four others were treated at the farm, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. In a statement on social media, Glass House Farms said it 'fully complied with agent search warrants and will provide further updates if necessary.' Video showed agents firing tear gas and crowd control munitions into a crowd of protesters near a farm house in Camarillo. Agents were also raiding another farm site roughly 30 miles away. The FBI issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a demonstrator, who appeared to fire a pistol during the melee, according to federal prosecutors. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott said agents found 10 undocumented children at the facility, including eight who were unaccompanied. It is legal in California for minors as young as 12 to work on farms but only in non-hazardous jobs and outside of school hours. Administration officials shared photos on social media showing masked agents posing with the alleged children they discovered and accused Newsom of failing to stop 'child exploitation.' 'We prosecute criminals that break child labor laws,' Newsom replied. 'You make the kids pose for photos, tear gas them, and promote laws like this,' said the governor, sharing articles about Republican-led legislation to loosen child labor laws. The workers, which included citizens, were held by federal authorities for more than eight hours. The American citizens were only released from custody if they agreed to delete video of the operation from their phones, according to United Farm Workers. The union also is demanding the 'immediate facilitation' of legal representation for minors at the facility. 'Farm workers are excluded from basic child labor laws and it is unfortunately not uncommon for teenagers to work in the fields,' the group said. 'To be clear: detaining and deporting children is not a solution for child labor.' The Trump administration's 'violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,' the union said. 'There is no city, state or federal district where it is legal to terrorize and detain people for being brown and working in agriculture. These raids must stop immediately.' The federal operation on Thursday was the latest in a series of immigration raids that have rocked communities across California and drawn federal lawsuits to stop them. Workplace raids spiked after the administration rescinded previous ICE policy that prohibited enforcement actions in sensitive locations such as places of worship, schools and hospitals. Under apparent pressure from the agricultural sector, which is made up of roughly 40 percent noncitizen workers, Trump has considered limiting enforcement actions on farms and developing a program for temporary work permits. But the president's border czar Tom Homan has said there will be 'no amnesty' for undocumented workers. The Trump administration has deployed officers across federal law enforcement agencies to focus on immigration enforcement, with a directive from the White House to make at least 3,000 daily arrests — a quota that immigration attorneys say will almost certainly result in 'collateral' arrests that could tear apart families and communities with mixed legal status. The president has also approved a record-breaking budget to hire more ICE officers and expand immigration detention center space across the country, making the agency one of the most expensive law enforcement agencies in the world, with a budget larger than most countries' militaries. More than 57,000 people are currently held in ICE custody, or roughly 140 percent more than its detention capacity. A vast majority of those immigrants do not have criminal records and 93 percent have not been convicted of any violent crime.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
South Carolina Democrat says Newsom must explain 'many failures in California' before presidential run
A prominent South Carolina Democrat said Thursday that Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to explain his "many failures in California" before running for president. Per the Los Angeles Times, South Carolina attorney and former state senator Richard Harpootlian predicted that "Newsom would find it hard to find a foothold in many places in South Carolina." The former chairman of the state Democratic Party said that he struggles to see Newsom appealing to blue-collar workers. "He's a very, very handsome man," Harpootlian said. "But the party is searching for a left-of-moderate candidate who can articulate blue-collar hopes and desires. I'm not sure that's him." Harpootlian's comments came after Newsom teamed up with the South Carolina Democratic Party for two days of meetings with voters in the state. The California governor reportedly went to churches, cafés, coffee shops and community centers. During the two-day tour through South Carolina, Newsom made an effort to connect with voters, the local party and elected officials to campaign for the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm elections in 2026. The trip to the early primary state by the term-limited governor is sure to spark plenty of 2028 speculation, since Newsom is considered a potential contender for the next Democratic presidential nomination. The Times reported further that Harpootlian referred to Newsom as "just another rich guy," reacting to the speculation that Newsom could run for president. He added that Newsom "became wealthy because of his connections with heirs to the Getty oil fortune." "Harpootlian said he did not think Newsom was attuned to winning back blue-collar voters," the Times reported. "If he had a track record of solving huge problems like homelessness, or the social safety net, he'd be a more palatable candidate," Harpootlian said. "I just think he's going to have a tough time explaining why there's so many failures in California." After President Donald Trump's decisive victory, Democrats and media pundits began an autopsy of the 2024 election results. Some members of the Democratic Party have pointed to the party's neglect of working-class voters and overlooked key economic issues as they focused on flinging attacks on Trump. The South Carolina Democratic Party, which announced Newsom's trip last week, said it's part of their effort to bring national Democrats to parts of the Palmetto State that they say have long been overlooked and "left behind" by Republican officials. Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
