A recent raid in Oxnard, California, has left local businesses and the community on edge. The operation, carried out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), took place on Tuesday, about 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles. A video shared by a local flower merchant shows a man fleeing through a foggy field of crops, pursued by agents. He eventually falls to the ground as he is apprehended.
The following day, the BBC visited Oxnard and found a CBP truck parked outside an organic produce trucking company. A security guard at the site insisted that their presence was not connected to immigration enforcement, stating, "This is not ICE. We would never let ICE in here." Despite this, many farm workers chose to stay home, leaving tractors and trucks idle across the fields.
The effects of the raid are being felt beyond the farms. Raquel Pérez, who runs Casa Grande Cafe, a Mexican restaurant, observed masked CBP agents trying to enter a nearby vegetable and herb packing facility. With farm workers absent, her restaurant saw only one customer during what is usually a busy lunch hour. Raquel estimates that a significant portion of her clientele is undocumented, and her mother, Paula Pérez, expressed concern, saying, "No one came in today. We’re all on edge."
Raquel worries more about her restaurant’s future now than during the COVID pandemic, when her customers continued to work and supply fresh food. She highlighted the potential "domino effect" of the raids, noting that other businesses in the area are also feeling the impact. A nearby company that sells wooden pallets has closed, and a local car mechanic is also affected.
"If the strawberries or vegetables aren’t picked, there won’t be anything coming into the packing houses," Raquel explained. "That means no trucks to transport the goods." The community is left grappling with the uncertainty and potential long-term consequences of these enforcement actions.