Protester Opens Fire on ICE Agents, Video Appears to Show

A protester opened fire on federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a Cannabis farm in Southern California on Thursday, new footage appears to show.

Newsweek contacted the Camarillo Police Department and ICE for comment outside regular working hours.

Why It Matters

The second Trump administration has overseen a major crackdown on illegal immigration since it took office in January, with an intensification of ICE raids across the U.S.

In June, protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles turned violent over several days, with individuals throwing rocks at police and setting vehicles alight. In response, President Trump deployed 4,000 California National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines to the city against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a legal battle.

If the use of a firearm against immigration enforcement is confirmed, it would be a major escalation and could spark a fresh crackdown from the federal government.

What To Know

The video, released by ABC 7, shows a man dressed in black drawing what appears to be a handgun and pointing it at law enforcement.

The network said the man "fired at least a couple of times" after demonstrators were targeted with nonlethal weapons. There have been no reports of casualties.

The ICE raid targeted a farm in Camarillo, Ventura County, and military-style vehicles and a helicopter were deployed.

A second ICE raid targeted a separate site in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County. Both sites are owned by Glass House Farms, which said on social media that it "fully complied with agent search warrants."

Footage published by KCAL News showed demonstrators targeting a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, a number of which had their windows smashed, as they left the site.

Law enforcement fired chemical munitions at some of the demonstrators, with The Guardian reporting that these produced thick green and white smoke.

On X, formerly Twitter, Bill Essayli, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said the FBI had "issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo."

Essayli added that the incident took place around 2:26 p.m. Pacific time on Laguna Road, between Wood Road and Las Posas Road.

What People Are Saying

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Newsweek: "At the California marijuana facility, ICE and CBP law enforcement rescued eight unaccompanied migrant children from what looks like exploitation, violation of child labor laws and potentially human trafficking or smuggling. Yet, Gavin Newsom, Ruben Gallego and other politicians continue to demonize and attack the law enforcement officers who bravely rescued these children."

The X account Libs of TikTok, which is run by Chaya Raichik, shared the ABC 7 clip with its 4.3 million followers, writing: "Will @GavinNewsom condemn this?"

The California governor replied: "Of course I condemn any assault on law enforcement, you s*** poster. Now do Jan 6."

Newsom had previously shared footage of tear gas being fired during the ICE raid in Camarillo, writing: "Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields. Trump calls me 'Newscum'—but he's the real scum."

Mike Madrid, an author and self-styled "Latino GOP political consultant," wrote on X: "The militarized ICE raids in Camarillo are happening in the same fields my mother used to offer free translation services to farm laborers for in the 1970's."

What Happens Next

Officials are expected to continue investigating Thursday's incident. It has yet to be confirmed whether the protester fired a firearm at law enforcement.

Update 7/11/25, 9:50 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with a comment from a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.