Camarillo ICE raid 911 calls describe chaos at Glass House Farms

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - Newly-released 911 dispatch calls have exposed the severe chaos and panic that gripped a Southern California cannabis farm during a massive federal immigration raid last summer. 

The audio files capture frantic farmworkers, terrified bystanders, and overwhelmed dispatchers navigating a volatile standoff between hundreds of federal agents and crowds of protesters.

What we know:

On July 10, 2025, hundreds of federal Immigration and Customs (ICE) and Border Patrol agents executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria. 

The operation rapidly escalated as a large crowd of protesters gathered to block agents from detaining undocumented workers, prompting authorities to deploy tear gas, pepper balls, and rubber bullets.

The Ventura County Fire Authority released more than a dozen emergency calls following a California Public Records Act request by FOX 11. 

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The audio reveals that citizens faced immense danger on the ground. One caller reported being shot with a rubber bullet by the National Guard, while another begged for help on behalf of a friend who was allegedly trapped inside a hot car for three hours, terrified to exit as federal agents surrounded the vehicle.

The emergency response was severely crippled by the gridlock. 

Video evidence shows that ambulances and paramedics could not easily get into the area due to heavy traffic and hostile crowd dynamics. 

Ultimately, federal authorities arrested 361 people directly from the two farm locations, a number that grew to roughly 500 total arrests over the course of the surrounding unrest. 

Among those detained were 14 migrant children and four U.S. citizens – including George Retes, a 25-year-old disabled U.S. Army veteran working as a farm security guard, who was held for three days before being released without charges. 

One farmworker, 57-year-old Jaime Alanis Garcia, died from his injuries after falling 30 feet from a greenhouse roof while attempting to hide from agents. 

What we don't know:

Details regarding the underlying federal investigation remain concealed, as authorities have consistently declined to release the official operational warrants. 

The ages, identities, and legal status of the 14 detained children are unknown, and DHS has provided no evidence to substantiate its initial claims of child labor, human trafficking, or structural abuse at the facility. 

Timeline:

• May 2025: The California Department of Cannabis Control conducts a routine site visit at Glass House Farms and reports observing zero minors on the premises.
• July 10, 2025: Hundreds of federal agents storm the Camarillo and Carpinteria facilities. Clashes erupt with protesters, a worker falls to his death, and a flood of desperate 911 calls inundates local dispatchers.
• July 11, 2025: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signs a sweeping executive order preparing city property for federal immigration fallout and arranging philanthropic cash cards for terrified immigrant families.
• July 12, 2025: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly announces that the operation has expanded into one of the largest immigration sweeps since President Donald Trump took office.
• July 2025 (Days following raid): A federal judge orders a temporary halt to indiscriminate stops across seven California counties, an injunction the Justice Department immediately appeals as "indefensible."
• July 2026: On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the raid, the Ventura County Fire Authority officially releases internal 911 recordings and visual media to the press.

What they're saying:

The Department of Homeland Security pushed back against accusations that federal operations compromised public safety, stating that its personnel never prevented first responders from helping callers. Instead, a DHS representative placed the blame squarely on external actors, stating that "agitators" made the response by fire and paramedics so difficult, they set up triage nearby and directed the injured to go to those locations if possible.

In its first comprehensive statement following the raid, Glass House Brands management sought to distance itself from systemic violations, clarifying that only nine of its direct employees were detained, and that any other individuals swept up in the arrests were contracted through third-party farm labor companies. The company asserted, "none of [the children] were Glass House employees."

Meanwhile, the Justice Department fiercely defended its aggressive regional tactics in filings to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing against strict constitutional constraints on immigration stops.

"The Fourth Amendment imposes a totality-of-the-circumstances test, and it is entirely possible that one’s language, location, or type of work could be relevant in a particular factual context. Trying to develop bright-line rules in this context is a fool’s errand."

What's next:

Legal battles stemming from the operation will continue to play out in federal court. 

Glass House Brands has announced it is overhauling its compliance measures, implementing stricter age verifications at its facility gates, and entering into a labor peace agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.