California Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped into President Donald Trump in response to video footage that showed federal immigration agents firing tear gas and pepper bullets at children.
Immigration officials were conducting raids at a marijuana growing facility in Camarillo, Calif., on Thursday as part of the administration’s ongoing mass deportation efforts.
Workers’ family members began showing up at roadblocks set up by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to ask about their loved ones, and were soon joined by protesters, independent media outlet L.A. Taco reported.
About an hour and a half into the raid, tensions escalated when officers began firing tear gas and pepper bullets at the crowd, according to L.A. Taco and local news station KTLA.
“Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields,” Newsom wrote in a post on X alongside footage shared by KTLA. “Trump calls me ‘Newscum’—but he’s the real scum.”
The video shows people—including children and protesters—running through nearby fields and down the shoulder of a road while white smoke billows behind them. In the background, someone yells, “Do not panic, do not run! Do not run! Stay calm,” while people cover their faces and cough.
It also shows a teenage boy with a cell phone to his ear covering his face and sobbing while people yell in the background.
“They took your mom?” the person filming asks, and the boy nods.
The raid’s target was a cannabis growing facility called the Glass House Brands, with aerial footage showing a large federal law enforcement presence extending to several nearby fields, according to KTLA.
As the situation became more chaotic, more protesters showed up and began trying to block the ICE agents’ vehicles, L.A. Taco reported.
At 2:35 p.m., news footage appeared to show someone in the area firing a pistol at federal law enforcement officers. The FBI said in a statement that it was offering a $50,000 award for information leading to a conviction.
“Will @GavinNewsom condemn this??” the MAGA account Libs of TikTok demanded on X.
“Of course I condemn any assault on law enforcement, you s--t poster,” Newsom replied. “Now do Jan. 6.”
An estimated 30 people were detained during the operation, KTLA reported, and several protesters were arrested, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a post on X that law enforcement officers had executed criminal search warrants at the marijuana facility.
A second Glass House growing center was raided about 35 miles away in Carpinteria, Calif., The New York Times reported.
After the raids, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott wrote on social media that 10 undocumented minors were found at the Camarillo facility, eight of whom were unaccompanied minors.
Officials were investigating whether any child labor laws had been violated, he added.
Glass House Brands said in a statement, “The company fully complied with agent search warrants and will provide further updates if necessary.” Cannabis is legal in California under state law approved by voters.
