The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offered a $50,000 reward on Friday for a suspect in the confrontation between migrants and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a California cannabis farm that left many farmer workers detained.
Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on social media that the FBI is searching for an “unknown subject” who “appeared” to point and fire a handgun at federal agents near Camarillo, where hundreds of protesters clashed with ICE on Thursday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) official shared a photograph of a man wearing a face covering, and a video from the local ABC station with images of the subject and the caption “Protestant apparently fires gun at agents.”
ICE also issued a “fleeing shooter” advisory for the “subject who apparently fired a weapon at federal agents while executing an arrest warrant at a marijuana grow site,” which is legal in California.
The advisory comes one day after the operation in Ventura County, in the Camarillo area, and in Santa Barbara County, in the Carpinteria area, which resulted in the apprehension of hundreds of migrants of various nationalities, including Mexicans, as confirmed by the Mexican Foreign Ministry.
“It is unprecedented that these ICE agents come to our community to separate families and leave others without the means to continue living with dignity. Hundreds of calls come to my office every day seeking support for these honorable workers who have only come to work in our community. My heart and my support go out to them,” said Vianey López, Supervisor of the 5th District in Ventura County.
“It breaks my heart to see how these immigration officers come to our community to disrupt the peace. These people they are coming to deport are hardworking people who are a very important part of our community. They are humble, hardworking people who make our economy thrive. They are the people who put food on our tables, who build our homes, who take care of our children. Local police are not supporting these raids nor are they cooperating with immigration. If at any point local police make an appearance, it is to protect our first responders and maintain order,” said Oxnard Mayor Luis McArthur.
The operation sparked protests against the arrests, so officers fired tear gas to disperse the protesters in the middle of the farm fields, injuring several and wounding many others. Many ended up in local hospitals, where it is believed immigration officers attempted to enter but were denied access, including San Juan Hospital in Oxnard.
The action reflects how California has become a particular flashpoint for President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, as protests against ICE raids have intensified since June, particularly in Los Angeles and now in Ventura County.
Between June 6 and 22, more than 1,600 people in Los Angeles were detained for deportation purposes, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).