Camarillo, CA – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) released the following statement in response to recent immigration enforcement activities and large federal agent presence at a farm in Ventura County. This raid comes amid a broader escalation of immigration enforcement actions across Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and Southern California.
“I am aware of the recent immigration enforcement activities and large federal agent presence on Laguna Road in Camarillo and have been closely monitoring the situation. I’m deeply frustrated by the lack of transparency from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, and I will be demanding answers to find out who they detained and where the detainees are being taken.
“These militarized raids are not routine immigration enforcement. They are part of a deliberate, disruptive, and ongoing campaign of cruelty that is an unacceptable assault on our way of life. ICE should be focused on individuals who pose real threats to public safety, not carrying out broad sweeps that destabilize entire communities.
“The farmworkers being targeted in these operations are the same individuals who break their backs day in and day out to feed this country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were rightly declared essential workers who were vital to sustaining our nation’s food supply. To turn around and target them is wrong and profoundly immoral.
“These raids are a misuse of federal resources, and they are not how we keep our neighborhoods 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.
“I am continuing to work to hold this administration accountable 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.”
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Issues: 119th Congress, Immigration, Local Issues