Farmworker Dies Following Chaotic ICE Raid Where More Than 300 Were Arrested

Jaime Alanís, a worker at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California, died Saturday after falling thirty feet during the chaotic immigration raid last week, according to a GoFundMe post shared by his family.

Alanis’ death adds to the scrutiny of federal agents’ aggressive — and often volatile — tactics as they ramp up immigration enforcement across the country. It also points to the dangers of such raids, which have long raised concerns about civil rights violations, racial profiling and the trauma they cause immigrant communities.

Alanís reportedly climbed, then fell, from a greenhouse onsite while he fled from federal agents last Thursday.

“He died due to the reckless ICE raid . He suffered a broken neck, fractured skull. Severed arterie,” the GoFundMe post reads.

“This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody,” Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary of public affairs, said in a statement. “Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”

Alanís, 57, is survived by his wife and daughter, according to the GoFundMe post, and his body will be taken to his hometown of Huajúmbaro, in the Mexican state of Michoacán. He worked at Glass House Farms for ten years, according to the Associated Press, and was described as a “hard-working, innocent farmer” by his family members.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers also conducted a raid last Thursday on a Glass House Farms site in Carpinteria, California.

This weekend, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem touted the raids as “one of the largest operations since President Trump took office,” noting that agents apprehended more than 300 alleged undocumented immigrants. DHS said, too, that 14 children were “rescued” during the raid from forced labor and exploitation, and that four U.S. citizens were arrested for allegedly assaulting or resisting federal agents.

Glass House Farms has said that federal agents had warrants and that it would be assisting workers with legal counsel.

The United Farm Workers on Monday, meanwhile, described disturbing actions taken by federal agents during the raids.

“The UFW can confirm farm workers were critically injured … during chaotic raids in Ventura County, California. Others, including U.S. citizens remain totally unaccounted for,” the organization said in a statement.

Workers, including U.S. citizens, were held for eight hours or more onsite, UFW noted, and some citizens said they were only released after deleting photos and videos of the raid on their phones.

There’s also been growing controversy in recent days over the arrest of California State University, Channel Islands Professor Jonathan Caravello, who is a U.S. citizen and was at Glass House Farms protesting against the Camarillo raid on Thursday. Caravello was arrested on Thursday and was held in federal detention this past weekend. Witnesses have said that Caravello was helping remove a tear gas canister that had been lodged underneath the wheelchair of another protester, while federal authorities alleged that he was attempting to throw that canister at law enforcement, leading to his arrest.

Caravello was released on bail on Monday following protests against his detention.

Immigration policy experts have repeatedly stressed that raids instill fear in immigrant communities, fueling long-term health issues and economic distress, while violating people’s constitutional rights.

“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” UFW said in its statement about Thursday’s raid.