Unaccompanied Children Discovered in California Marijuana Grow Operations

Last week, authorities from the Department of Homeland Security carried out an operation at two marijuana grow sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, where they located 14 children, most of whom were without parental supervision. Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at DHS, stated that this alarming discovery indicates potential exploitation of these children, suggesting issues of forced labor and trafficking that exceed mere political discussions.

During President Biden’s administration, over 540,000 encounters with unaccompanied minors at the southern border have been recorded, a significant increase compared to the approximately 235,000 cases during the Trump administration. The statistics also noted about 4,000 unaccompanied children encountered since the beginning of Trump's second term, highlighting the ongoing challenges at the border.

Among the 361 illegal aliens apprehended during the operation were individuals with serious criminal backgrounds, including a convicted kidnapper named Roman Izquierdo from Mexico, who has a history of attempted rape and child molestation. Another suspect, Juan Duarte-Velasquez, is also a convicted rapist, along with Salvadoran Jose Orellana, who has a prior hit-and-run conviction.

The operation faced interruptions from hundreds of rioters, including four U.S. citizens who are now being processed for their role in assaulting law enforcement. Reports indicate that vehicles were damaged during the chaos, and one individual fired a weapon at officers, prompting the FBI to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to this individual's arrest. Meanwhile, DHS is actively looking into the case concerning the unaccompanied children and any potential violations of child labor laws occurring at the marijuana farms.