Immigration Attorney Speaks Out Following Raids in Carpinteria and Camarillo

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – In the wake of raids at Glass House Farms and rallies in Carpinteria and Camarillo, an immigration attorney is speaking out on behalf of her clients with U.S. born children.

"As an immigration attorney what we are seeing in our communities is not making America safe," said Andrea Anaya.

Anaya who attended UC Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara School of Law is taking a couple of pro bono cases linked to ICE detainments at Glass House Farms and another case in Santa Maria.

"What this admin is doing is terrorizing families, they are violating due process rights for individual detained."

She said the administration wants detainees to agree to self deportation.

"They are withholding water and food in order for these individuals to voluntary sign to depart the country never-mind that most of these individuals have minor U.S. citizen children waiting at home wondering why mom or dad never came home. This is not what the United States of America stands for."

It appears children are caught in the middle.

"For years administration after administration ICE has always said they have prosecutorial discretion to exercise who to remove, who not to remove, who to detain; however, currently we are not seeing them exercise prosecutorial discretion at all even when they have directives instructing them to consider whether an individual is the primary caretaker of a minor U.S. citizen child, even in those cases ICE is refusing to release that individual."

California GOP Budget Chairman and former Carpinteria City Councilmember Greg Gandrud said he doubts the allegation about food and water.

Gandrud said he moved to Ventura due to the health risks linked to the sprays used to mask the pot odor at his former Carpinteria home.

He said Glass House was targeted for unfair labor practices, and not just to arrest undocumented workers.

There is video of teens detained at Glass House.

Grandrud said you must be 21 to work in the cannabis industry in California.

"The raids resulted in over 10 illegal aliens minors being located at the Glass Farm facility and one of those children was as young as 14 and they also found a convicted child molester in the same facility," said Gandrud.

He believes it was unfortunate for Congressman Salud Carbajal to interfere.

Gandrud also said if the city interferes, they put the city at risk of federal litigation and grants.

Grandrud who attended both of President Trump's inauguration events in Washington, D.C. said people can find loved ones by logging onto https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/search

Carpinteria resident Allen Braithwaite applauds their efforts in the wake of the difficulties they have been having.

"ICE was simply doing its job and the people who they are attempting to contact all that have in common the fact that they have not been given an invitation to come into California or America."

He said he doesn't want to see people throwing rocks or getting hurt.

Other Carpinteria residents, including Phoenix Hocking, arrived at Carpinteria City Hall to share their thoughts during public comments.

"I'm an here because people are afraid, my brown skinned neighbors are afraid and that is not right what is happening in this country is wrong and people like me need to stand up and say that and let the government know that they are not going to walk all over us," said Hocking.

Dozens of people with similar views took part in a rally on Monday afternoon near the corner of Adolfo and Santa Rosa Roads in Camarillo.

Participants held signs opposed to ICE raids in their community.

Immigration attorneys are likely to stay busy as the Trump Administration continues to back ICE raids.