A social justice group and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office settled a controversy over video from the massive ICE immigration raid in Camarillo last summer.
More than 300 farmworkers were arrested during last July’s ICE raid at the Glass House cannabis farm in Camarillo. One worker died after falling from a greenhouse roof during the raid.
Some protesters clashed with federal officers outside the facility, with tear gas being deployed.
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said the department did not participate in the raid and wasn’t involved with those clashes. He said officers were called to the area to help keep roads clear, but weren’t on hand at the farm.
The nonprofit social advocacy group Buen Vecino demanded that the Sheriff’s Office release the deputy's bodycam video to show what the agency’s officers were doing at the time. The sheriff refused, contending the video was exempt because it was a record of a law enforcement investigation. Buen Vecino teamed up with a First Amendment group and two attorneys to file suit.
As part of a settlement, the Sheriff’s Office released the video. It shows deputies with protesters on some roads near the farm. Aside from a lot of shouting, the video didn’t show any clashes or violence involving the deputies.
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In releasing the video, the Sheriff said he hopes it will dispel rumors that deputies were involved in the raid. He said they had no role in it.
