A cannabis company at the heart of a notorious ICE raid—that left one farm worker dead and saw tear gas deployed amid numerous arrests—has announced wide-reaching changes to its employment practices.
Glass House Brands Inc., which describes itself as “one of the fastest-growing…cannabis companies in the U.S.,” was targeted in a July 10 raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at its farms in Camarillo and Carpinteria, California. The raid sparked outrage, demonstrations, and an outpouring of sympathy for the family of the man who lost his life.
This week, the company announced changes to its employment rules in the wake of the raid. And it has even hired a compliance consultancy led by a former ICE director to advise it.
That news is likely to be received with some satisfaction by President Donald Trump’s administration, which is pushing ahead with a widespread crackdown on immigration and undocumented workers.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House by email, outside of usual working hours, seeking comment.
Why It Matters
Tackling illegal immigration was a key election pledge made by Trump before he took the keys to the White House, and he wasted no time in enforcing his policies with a mass deportation plan.
While the crackdown has been praised by some and has proved popular with many voters, critics have accused it of being “inhumane” and have also highlighted deportation cases that they claim are miscarriages of justice.
What To Know
The Glass House Brands farms were targeted in a coordinated raid on July 10.
Footage filmed at the scene showed dozens of workers fleeing across fields as tear gas was deployed, while a young man sobbed telling the filmmaker that agents had taken his mother away, and armed National Guard troops formed a barrier to push back demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Jaime Alanis, a 57-year-old farm worker, reportedly called relatives in a panic before he plunged 30 feet from the roof of a greenhouse, breaking his back and sustaining fatal injuries. Glass House Brands said this week that an employee of the security contractor for the Camarillo facility, George Retes, “was reportedly detained for three days without charges. He is a US citizen and Army veteran.”
After news of the death broke, there was widespread condemnation of the raid and a fundraising appeal for Alanis’ family topped more than $150,000.
There were reports that 360 individuals were detained or arrested during the raid, including 11 children aged between 14 and 17 years, Glass House Brands said. But the company has now released its own analysis of the detentions, saying that nine of its employees were detained or arrested and none of them was a minor. Other individuals rounded up by ICE would have been “employees of third-party contractors…or were unassociated with the company,” they said, adding that all of the company’s employees were required to be 21 or older, in line with California cannabis regulations.
The company “has undergone significant changes” in the wake of the raid, it said.
What People Are Saying
The statement issued by Glass House Brands Inc. about its new employment policies says: “The Company terminated its relationship with the two Farm Labor Contractors providing workers for its farms [… and] has revised its Farm Labor Contractor agreements to ensure that their compliance processes are best in class and in accordance with the latest Company standards.
“The Company has engaged new Farm Labor Contractors to provide workers pursuant to the best in class agreements […] The Company has made significant changes to labor practices that are above and beyond legal requirements.
“Since July 10, 2025, the Company has hired leading compliance consultants Guidepost Services, led by former Director of ICE and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Julie Myers Wood, to assist the Company’s counsel with implementing best practices for determining employment eligibility for its employees and for ensuring eligibility of employees of contractors.”
The company says all employees “are now E-verified and the underlying documents are reviewed by experts for validity and age gating,” and the company has also signed an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters labor union, it added.
What Happens Next
Those arrested must now navigate the politically-charged legal process that may ultimately lead to their deportation.
In the meantime, the company will move forward within its new employment framework as Trump looks set to continue his deportation raids across the country.
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