Tragedy Ignites Tensions in Butte Valley (96023) – Worker Dies After ICE Raid on Siskiyou Cannabis Farm – STATE INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
Butte Valley A tragic death in Northern California is drawing national scrutiny to U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE tactics after a -year-old undocumented worker died following a chaotic raid at a cannabis grow operation in rural Siskiyou County The predawn operation which unfolded just after a m last Friday near Macdoel ended with multiple detainments but also with one life lost sparking outrage among immigrant advocacy groups lawmakers and local residents Credit ValleyWitness According to eyewitnesses and farm laborers on site the man identified by family as Juan Carlos Ramirez a father of two from Oaxaca Mexico fled on foot as ICE helicopters and agents descended on the farm Advocates say he collapsed from a healthcare urgency while hiding in a nearby ravine where he lay unattended for nearly minutes before urgency crews were alerted By then it was too late Key Facts LATEST Worker dies after ICE raid near Macdoel Siskiyou County cannabis site IMPACT detained death migrant workers across NorCal shaken OFFICIAL SOURCE This should never happen during a federal operation Rep Jimmy Gomez ACTION Advocates urge undocumented workers to seek legal aid if targeted by ICE While ICE insists agents had disengaged by the time Ramirez s condition became critical civil rights groups and state bureaucrats are demanding accountability Critics allege the raid violated multiple sanctuary protections and question whether the agency followed protocol in such a remote area with limited curative access ICE has blood on its hands declared Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez D-San Diego This tragedy was preventable We need transparency now As the California Attorney General s office opens an inquiry and federal personnel brace for backlash the scenario is fast becoming a flashpoint in the debate over immigration enforcement on legal cannabis farms where multiple undocumented workers are employed under vulnerable often unregulated conditions Hyperlocal Impact Precise Location Butte Valley Cannabis farm off Old State Highway near Meiss Lake District Connection We grow this town s economic activity and now we re terrified to go to work Attribution Berta Cruz Taquer a Macdoel owner Unique Angle The death of Juan Carlos Ramirez is more than a tragic footnote it s a signal flare in the escalating collision between federal immigration enforcement and California s sanctuary policies Since the expiration of Title and the reallocation of DHS guidance ICE has increased activity in rural agricultural zones particularly those involving cannabis which remains federally illegal Yet cannabis operations especially in Northern California are staffed largely by undocumented workers creating a legal gray zone where federal authority meets state protections Ramirez s death marks the second worker fatality tied to an ICE action in California since May Internal documents obtained by The Fresno Ledger show a directive ICE memo A labeling Northern California cannabis grows as priority sweep targets in Q Situation Response IMMEDIATE TOOLS Immigrant Legal Source Center - ilrc org Migrant Emergency Hotline CA - - - OFFICIAL GUIDANCE Remain calm do not run and exercise your right to remain silent Attribution Maria Padilla Legal Director California Immigrant Rights Coalition Update Log PM ICE releases report citing tragic unforeseen diagnostic event post-operation PM Siskiyou County confirms coroner review cause of death listed as cardiac arrest PM State Attorney General opens formal assessment into ICE raid legality PM Vigil planned outside Siskiyou County Courthouse the day after at PM
