Organized activist groups encouraged protesters to arrive at a chaotic Southern California immigration raid where a man allegedly opened fire on federal agents Thursday, social media posts show.
The Ventura County chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and local activist organization VC Defensa cheered on protesters who were confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as it searched a cannabis farm in Camarillo, California, according to Instagram posts. The FBI is on the hunt for a man seen on video allegedly shooting a handgun at agents, ABC7 reported, but the two organizations’ Instagram accounts are already calling for a Friday protest nearby. (RELATED: Group Stoking Anti-ICE LA Riots Tied To Pro-Chinese Communist Millionaire)
“Right now — more support needed at Laguna Rd!” reads one of VC Defensa’s posts about the ICE farm raid, which reports indicate is located on Laguna and Las Posas Road. The post came alongside footage of demonstrators crowding into the farm. “Community goes into fields to protect area from more agents coming in,” a caption on the video reads.
“7/10 Camarillo all out to Laguna and Las Posas,” reads another post shared by VC Defensa and the PSL.
VC Defensa and the PSL’s Ventura County chapter did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
The two groups also announced an “emergency mobilization” on Instagram for Friday, encouraging protesters to arrive at Oxnard City Hall minutes away from Camarillo in the afternoon. The protest is meant “to call out the injustices and horror that our community is living through due to ICE and national guard terrorizing our people,” according to the announcement.
Authorities arrested dozens of people during the raid, including illegal immigrant minors, and fired projectiles and gas to disperse protesters, according to multiple reports. The suspect wanted by the FBI was seen running away from a canister emitting gas on the ground before he turned around and allegedly fired shots.
Federal agents found ten illegal immigrant minors at the Camarillo farm, eight of them unaccompanied, and it is now under investigation for possible child labor, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Thursday on X. Democrats quickly criticized the raid as supposedly targeting innocent migrants without acknowledging ICE’s findings.
California has dealt with widespread violence at anti-ICE riots in recent weeks after groups such as the PSL worked together to stoke outrage against local immigration raids online while posting coordinated calls for protesters to gather in Los Angeles in early June. The subsequent rioting persisted for several days and led to hundreds of arrests, fires, vandalism and the deployment of National Guard troops.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the alleged shooter’s conviction, the bureau said in an X post. The incident follows two shootings targeting law enforcement at federal immigration-related facilities in Texas earlier in July. ICE previously told the DCNF that assaults of its agents have increased by nearly 700%.
“Dangerous rhetoric from CA politicians is fueling assaults on federal agents enforcing immigration laws,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said on X Thursday. “Their reckless words implicitly encourage violence, escalating tensions. But we won’t back down.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
