Farmworker Dies in California Immigration Raid, Leaving Family Devastated

The family of Jaime Alanís, the farm worker who died after falling from a greenhouse roof during an immigration raid on a California cannabis farm, describes him as a "hard-working, innocent farmer" and the sole provider for his wife and daughter. Alanís, aged 57, passed away a day after the raid at Glass House Farms in Ventura County, where authorities arrested at least 200 workers. He was from Huajúmbaro, Michoacán, Mexico. He is the first known fatality during the Trump administration's increased immigration enforcement in Southern California.

The federal government's intensified enforcement has caused disruption throughout Southern California, with ICE agents conducting operations in various locations, including parks, car washes, and farms. These actions, along with the deployment of the US military, have led to widespread outrage and protests. Authorities have arrested a growing number of immigrants with no criminal records, despite the administration's claims of focusing on "violent criminals." US citizens have also been affected by the raids.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that criminal search warrants were executed on Thursday at Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria, California. The company cultivates cannabis, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Agents apprehended hundreds of individuals suspected of being in the country without legal status and identified at least 10 immigrant children.

During the raid, Alanís contacted his family, stating he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before his fall from the roof, approximately 30 feet. Family members reported that he sustained severe injuries, including a broken neck, fractured skull, and a severed artery, during what they described as a "reckless" raid.

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, stated that Alanís was not in Customs and Border Protection or ICE custody. She explained that he climbed onto the greenhouse roof and fell. CBP immediately requested medical assistance.

Alanís had been employed at Glass House for ten years and was the sole provider for his family, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser organized by his niece, Yesenia Duran.

Duran described her uncle as a "hard-working, innocent farmer" and emphasized that his wife and daughter were waiting for him.

An advocacy group expressed their sorrow for Alanís's family, who died from injuries sustained during the raid. They pledged to provide support and continue assisting numerous farm worker families affected by the event.