Cannabis farm raids were conducted Wednesday and Thursday, detention-monitoring group says A local group that monitors U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity says large-scale detention of migrant workers was confirmed during law enforcement raids of a drug-trafficking organization this week. The raids involved several cannabis operations across Southern Oregon this week, with Rogue Valley Migra Watch citing eyewitness accounts, photos and communication with impacted families. The group said Friday in a news release that it had confirmed at least 21 people were detained Wednesday and Thursday by ICE. Law enforcement operations at various sites reportedly involved agencies including the FBI, sheriff’s offices in Jackson and Josephine counties, Medford police and Oregon State Police. Few other details about the drug enforcement operation have been provided, with a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office release on Wednesday saying, “The public may have noticed an increased law enforcement presence, including police tactical vehicles in several areas while these operations were underway. This included a helicopter in the area of West Main Street (in Medford) and Hanley Road (in Central Point) that was part of a federal search warrant. The increased police presence included residences and businesses in Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point, Rogue River and Jacksonville. On Thursday, the FBI, ICE, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET), OSP and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office were observed raiding a farm on White Schoolhouse Road in Cave Junction, Rogue Valley Migra Watch said in the release. Eyewitnesses and more than 20 photos, which were included in a photo folder in the release, confirmed multiple ICE detention vehicles on site, including a Nissan Pathfinder and a passenger van that Rogue Valley Migra Watch said is owned by GEO Group, the operators of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Medford police respond Jackson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Aaron Lewis told the Times on Friday that additional information would be released at a later time pertaining to the drug enforcement operations. Email newsletter signup Lewis said the sheriff’s office had not been made aware of any planned detentions by ICE prior to the planned large-scale operation this week. “This was a two-year investigation into a local drug-trafficking organization with multiple federal search warrants served simultaneously on September 23rd,” Lewis said. “There was no local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. This was not an ICE raid. It was a local, state, and federal collaboration to investigate a major drug-trafficking organization.” Lewis said the sheriff’s office follows sanctuary state laws, prohibiting the agency from working with or even communicating with ICE regarding its presence in the region. While Medford police also assisted with the Wednesday operation, city officials on Friday confirmed that the department’s involvement was limited to a support role and “was not related to federal immigration enforcement.” “MPD operates in accordance with Oregon law, including the state’s Sanctuary Promise Act. Questions regarding federal immigration enforcement activities, including any detentions conducted by federal authorities, should be directed to the appropriate federal agencies,” city officials said Questions were previously raised in 2025 about local drug enforcement operations during a series of search warrants served on cannabis grow sites and personal residences across Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point and Grants Pass last July. The raids were DEA-led drug investigations, which federal officials declined to confirm, which according to local advocacy groups involved the detention of 17 cannabis workers. Migra Watch offers details On Wednesday, state, local and federal law enforcement also conducted raids on farms in Ruch and West Medford, the migrant-advocacy group said. Agencies involved included the DEA, Customs and Border Patrol, Medford police and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, according to Rogue Valley Migra Watch, which said it confirmed 13 people were detained by ICE, and eyewitnesses reportedly documented the Geo Group passenger van being loaded with detainees at the Medford ICE office near Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport later that day. Rogue Valley Migra Watch said it confirmed at least eight people were detained by ICE at the Thursday raid in Josephine County, “but believe more may have been taken,” according to the release. “The majority of ICE detainees are believed to be agricultural workers employed at local cannabis farms,” the release said. “Similar events took place on July 30, 2025, when 17 farmworkers were detained by ICE at raids that included local and state law enforcement. This week’s raids, as well as the July 2025 (raids) constitute the largest documented ICE raids in Southern Oregon and represent a significant increase in ICE activity across the state of Oregon.” “Oregon’s sanctuary law prohibits state and local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration operations,” Rogue Valley Migra Watch said in the release. “It’s plain and simple: local law enforcement should have no involvement in these large-scale ICE raids meant to rip families apart and stoke fear in our communities.” “We call on community leaders around the state to investigate the role local law enforcement is playing in these ICE raids, and to put a stop to this collaboration,” the release said. “It is not acceptable for Oregon law enforcement to claim ignorance about ICE’s activities with actively assisting the federal government in these large-scale operations.” In July, two people were detained by ICE at Emigrant Lake outside of Ashland but were later released, part of 33 detentions in Southern Oregon as of mid-summer, Ashland.news reported, citing Rogue Valley Migra Watch. Officials for the group said people at risk of ICE targeting can call 541-840-9669 to enroll with free legal support through the Equity Corps of Oregon (ECO) for income-qualifying families and make a family preparedness plan with free bilingual notaries by emailing admin@coalicionfortaleza.org. The group also said “if you believe you see ICE or have a loved one who may have been taken by ICE, please message Rogue Valley Migra Watch on Facebook or Instagram and call PIRC at 888-622-1510.” Reach Rogue Valley Times editor Troy Heie at troy.heie@rv-times.com. Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal. Editor’s note: This story subheadline has been updated to clarify agency involvement in detentions.