On Wednesday morning, silence enveloped Ventura County's strawberry and celery fields after a chaotic immigration raid the previous day. Juvenal Solano, a director at the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project, monitored the situation closely, reflecting on the tense atmosphere following the raids that saw at least 35 detentions. These actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol represent a heightened focus on undocumented workers in the region's critical agricultural landscape. Local organizers, including Solano, are on high alert, ready to respond to any further actions by federal authorities, prioritizing worker safety and support amidst uncertainty.
The organization, part of a broader rapid-response network that offers support and counsel for workers targeted by immigration raids, was caught off guard when calls started pouring in from residents reporting federal agents gathering near fields.
Solano, like other organizers, is wondering what their next move will be. 'If they didn't show up in the morning, it's possible they'll show up in the afternoon,' Solano said. 'We're going to stay alert to everything that's happening.'
Maureen McGuire, chief executive of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, noted that federal agents visited five packing facilities and fanned out across communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that grow a considerable portion of the state's crops.
As federal agents tried to access fields and packinghouses, Solano noted that the recent raids marked a new level in approach and scope in targeting undocumented residents.
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