Recent large-scale immigration raids at packing plants and agricultural fields in California are raising serious concerns among the state’s producers and could significantly disrupt the nation’s food supply, according to farming associations.
In recent weeks, dozens of farmworkers have been arrested in operations carried out by uniformed federal agents on plantations in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles. The region, known for its production of strawberries, lemons, and avocados, has become a focal point of President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
Fear has taken hold of immigrant communities, prompting many workers to stay home. The presence of federal agents in places like Home Depot parking lots, car washes, and clothing factories—along with the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles following protests—has intensified the climate of anxiety. Demonstrations against the raids have spread to other cities across the country.
Maureen McGuire, executive director of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, reported that between 25% and 45% of field workers have stopped showing up for work since the raids began earlier this month. “When our workforce is afraid, fields go unharvested, packing operations are delayed, and the entire market supply chain—from local grocery stores to national retailers—is disrupted. This affects every American who eats,” she said in a statement.
California produces more than a third of the vegetables and over 75% of the fruits and nuts consumed in the U.S. Although the state is governed by Democrats, many agricultural areas lean Republican. Several farmers had placed their hopes in the Trump administration for support on key issues such as trade and water access.
Primitiva Hernández, executive director of 805 UndocuFund, estimated that at least 43 individuals have been detained in the fields of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties since Monday, citing data from the Mexican consulate and the group’s own estimates based on conversations with relatives of those arrested.
Elizabeth Strater, strategic campaigns director for United Farm Workers, said the union had received reports of immigration arrests as far north as California’s Central Valley. Lucas Zucker, co-executive director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, reported that farmworkers told them federal agents tried to enter at least nine farms but were turned away by supervisors for lacking warrants. “This is a massive attack on a working-class immigrant community. It’s discrimination at its core. They’re not targeting specific individuals—they’re acting blindly,” Zucker said.
Responding to questions about the raids, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated that the agency will continue to follow the president’s directives and seek to remove immigrants with criminal records.
President Trump acknowledged on Thursday the concerns of farmers over the potential labor shortage resulting from increased enforcement. “Our great farmers and people in the hospitality and leisure sectors have said that our very aggressive immigration policies are taking away highly skilled and experienced workers, and that these jobs are nearly impossible to fill,” he posted on social media. “We must protect our farmers, but we must get the CRIMINALS out of the United States. Changes are coming!”
The California Farm Bureau said it has not yet seen a widespread disruption in the labor force but confirmed growing concern within the agricultural community. Bryan Little, the bureau’s director of public policy, reiterated calls for long-overdue immigration reform: “We understand some workers may feel unsafe right now, and we want to be clear—California agriculture depends on and values its workforce,” he said. “If federal immigration enforcement continues down this path, the future of farming in the state will become increasingly uncertain.”
