Abuses documentedExcessive force by law enforcementunder Accountable use of state forceObstruction of a First Amendment-protected activityunder Freedom of speech, assembly, and associationActorsU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityNational Guard (force-protection role, per contemporaneous reporting)On July 10, 2025, federal immigration agents raided Glass House Farms, a licensed cannabis facility in Camarillo, California, as part of a broader operation that day at two Southern California marijuana farms resulting in more than 360 arrests. Ventura-based attorney Vanessa Valdez was present as a legal observer when, she says, agents deployed tear gas and shot her six times with rubber bullets despite her identifying herself as an observer; she was struck while trying to flee, then crawled on the ground unable to see, and later sought medical treatment, believing at the time that a rib had been fractured. The Department of Homeland Security disputed Valdez's account, with a spokesperson stating that agents deployed pepper balls, not rubber bullets, and only after "agitators" attempted to breach the perimeter. Contemporaneous reporting on the raid confirmed federal agents fired tear gas and smoke canisters at protesters who gathered nearby, and that National Guard troops were present in a force-protection role supporting the immigration operation. Valdez has filed a claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act seeking compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and emotional trauma, one of roughly $260 million in aggregate claims filed by people caught up in the raid campaign. Why we recorded thisExcessive force by law enforcement violates the norm that state power over civilians is bounded by proportionality and accountability. Here, federal agents shot a legal observer with less-lethal rounds and deployed tear gas despite her identified role, and the government disputes the very facts of the encounter rather than its own use of force. This archive records when force against civilians, including monitors of government conduct, exceeds what a democratic system permits. SourcesAfter raids, U.S. citizens and immigrants seek millions for shootings, injuries, trauma — Los Angeles Timesprimaryaccessed July 6, 2026Federal agents clash with protesters after immigration raid at Glass House Farms near Camarillo — ABC7 Los Angelesinvestigativeaccessed July 6, 2026Protesters and federal agents clash during raid at Southern California farm — NPRinvestigativeaccessed July 6, 2026 Receive the daily digest by email One email each morning with every entry filed the day before. Free. No tracking, no ads. Unsubscribe anytime.