ICE Tactics Under Fire After Raid Death and Judge’s Ruling
LOS ANGELES — Federal immigration authorities are facing mounting criticism after a deadly immigration raid in California and a federal judge’s rebuke of race-based arrest practices by U.S. agents, reported by AFP.
The controversy deepened over the weekend when a farm worker died after falling from a greenhouse during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a legal cannabis farm in Ventura County. The man, who was reportedly fleeing agents, was not in custody when he fell. ICE Acting Director Tom Homan called the death “tragic,” while insisting agents followed protocol.
The fallout comes just days after U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered ICE to halt “roving patrols” in Los Angeles, ruling that arrests based on race, language, or place of work were unconstitutional.
“Appearance alone cannot justify detention,” the judge wrote.
Still, top Trump officials are pushing back. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dismissed the court’s decision as “politically motivated,” asserting on Fox News that “operations are based on criminal investigations, not racial profiling.” Homan, speaking on CNN, admitted physical appearance plays a role in field assessments, but said it’s just “one of many factors.”
Tensions have spiked across California in recent weeks. Protests erupted after ICE agents detained nearly 200 migrants during the Thursday raid in Camarillo. President Trump responded by dispatching thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, vowing to restore “order.”
On his Truth Social platform, Trump authorized ICE agents to use “any means necessary” to defend themselves against protestors, whom he accused of hurling bricks and rocks.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned the federal response, calling the troop deployment “unwarranted.” However, his legal efforts to have them withdrawn have so far failed.
Outside the raided farm, families gathered, desperate for answers. Saul Muñoz, whose son was detained, said: “The American dream no longer feels like a dream—it feels like a nightmare.”
