Last week’s raids of two of the several Glass House Farms-owned marijuana farms in California led to the arrest of over 300 illegal aliens, including children. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on X, “[DHS] law enforcement rescued 14 children from potential forced labor, exploitation, and trafficking. They arrested 319 illegal aliens.” Of these children, ICE reported that at least nine of them were unaccompanied.
Among the arrested unlawful immigrants was a child predator, Roman Izquierdo, “who has been convicted of kidnapping, attempted rape and attempted child molestation” and was “previously deported” by ICE in 2006, as well as illegal alien Juan Duarte-Velasquez “who has been convicted of rape and a DUI.”
The four-hour raid began on Thursday, July 10, and led to violent exchanges between protestors and federal agents. Protestors were reportedly throwing rocks at federal agents and their vehicles, forcing agents to deploy tear gas to control the crowds. The FBI is also launching an investigation — with a 50,000-dollar reward — against an unknown man who was supposedly shooting agents from the crowd. Amidst the chaos, one worker died after attempting to scale a 30-foot greenhouse.
When asked about the protestors who interfered with ICE, border czar Tom Homan said “[Protestors] have been emboldened by even members of Congress who compare ICE to Nazis, racists, and terrorists. … If people want to complain about the job ICE is doing, go complain to Congress.”
Linking a video of the raid, Newsom posted on his X account: “Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields.” Homan responded during a Fox News interview. “We’re looking for over 300,000 missing children. We’ve already found 10,000. … This should be a non-partisan issue,” he insisted. “…We’re rescuing thousands of children.”
“Why are there children working at a marijuana facility, Gavin?” asked the DHS.
“Yesterday, Glass House Brands received immigration and naturalization warrants. As per the law, we verified that the warrants were valid and we complied. Workers were detained and we are assisting to provide them legal representation,” Glass House Brands posted on X in response to the raids. “Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.” But U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Rodey Scott posted on X that the company is now “under investigation for child labor violations.”
Graham Farrar, co-founder, president, and board director of Glass House Farms donated $10,000 to Gavin Newsom’s 2018 campaign for governor of California, according to public campaign finance records, and has also overwhelmingly supported multiple Democratic campaigns, and a few Republicans, who have shown “support for liberalizing cannabis laws.”
“This is quickly becoming one of the largest operations since President Trump took office, and we’re only getting started,” said the DHS.
Caily Shriver serves as an intern at Family Research Council.
