Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) and Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) released the following statement regarding reports of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations throughout Ventura County, California. These operations follow a wave of escalated enforcement in neighboring Los Angeles County and are spreading fear, chaos, and distress across the region.
“We have received disturbing reports of ICE enforcement actions in Ventura County, including in Oxnard, Port Hueneme, and Camarillo, where agents have reportedly stopped vehicles, loitered near schools, and attempted to enter agricultural properties and facilities in the Oxnard Plain. These actions are completely unjustified, deeply harmful, and raise serious questions about the agency’s tactics and its respect for due process.
“Let us be clear: these raids are not about public safety. They are about stoking fear. These are not criminals being targeted. They are hardworking people and families who are an essential part of Ventura County. Our local economy, like much of California’s and the country’s as a whole, depends on undocumented labor. These men and women are the backbone of our farms, our fields, our construction and service industries, and our communities.
“We are outraged by the cruelty and recklessness of this campaign. It is unconscionable. The Trump administration is deliberately inflicting harm on immigrant families and doing so without transparency, accountability, or even basic communication with Congress. Neither we nor our colleagues have received any notification or briefing from ICE about these activities. Our inquiries to the administration have gone unanswered. This total lack of transparency is unacceptable.
“The Trump administration continues to use immigration enforcement as a political weapon, targeting vulnerable families to score political points. This is not how you keep people safe. In fact, this kind of chaos only makes our communities more insecure. And as these actions continue to traumatize families and tear communities apart, they are also tearing at the fabric of our humanity and who we are as a country.
“ICE should be focused on individuals who pose real threats to public safety, not terrorizing entire communities with broad, unjust sweeps. These actions are a misuse of limited resources and a betrayal of the values that define us as Americans.
“We will continue working closely with state and local officials to protect our community and ensure that all Ventura County families, regardless of immigration status, feel safe. We can and we must enforce our immigration laws while upholding the rule of law and respecting due process. The Trump administration must be held accountable for these deeply damaging and politically motivated actions. We remain committed to protecting the rights, safety, and well-being of every resident of Ventura County.”
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Issues: 119th Congress, Immigration, Local Issues