A GoFundMe for a farmworker who died from injuries he reportedly sustained during a federal immigration raid near Camarillo has raised more than double its $50,000 goal.
The farmworker was identified as Jaime Alanís by posts from the United Farm Workers and by his niece, Yesenia Duran. His death was confirmed by his niece to The Associated Press and shared in a update on the GoFundMe that Duran organized, which was created prior to his death and intended to support his family in Mexico.
The Ventura County Star reported that the July 10 raid took place at one of the largest licensed cannabis farms in the state, Glass House Farms, and that a crowd of family members of the farmworkers and protestors had gathered in response. There, federal agents clashed with demonstrators in a raid that began in the morning and continued past sunset, the Ventura County Star said.
The Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday, July 13, that federal officers “executed criminal warrant operations” at the Glass House Farm’s Camarillo and Carpinteria facilities and that officers arrested “at least” 361 people allegedly in the U.S. illegally from both locations in addition to retrieving “at least 14 migrant children” from “potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking.”
Glass House Farms said in a statement on July 11 that it has “never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.”
A photo shared on GoFundMe said that Alanís was at the Camarillo farm. The fundraiser’s description said he was chased by federal agents and reportedly fell 30 feet. In response to the Desert Sun’s request for comment on how Alanís sustained injuries, the Department of Homeland Security emailed a statement from Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs.
“This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody,” McLaughlin said. “Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
How much has the GoFundMe raised?
The GoFundMe for Alanís has raised more than $159,000 as of the afternoon of Monday, July 14.
According to the GoFundMe’s description, Alanís was his family’s only provider. He will be brought to his hometown of Huajúmbaro in Mexico where his “wife and daughter are waiting for him.”
The Desert Sun reached Duran through GoFundMe for comment on the fundraiser.
Thousands of donations have been made, including several of $1,000 and $500, in the days since the fundraiser was first published. Instagram users left comments of support in a post by Duran and others about her uncle’s death, describing the loss as “heartbreaking” and calling for justice.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: GoFundMe for farmworker who died after Camarillo immigration raid grows past $150,000
Reporting by Paris Barraza, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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