The cannabis giant Glass House Farms is under federal investigation after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided its facilities in Ventura County last Thursday. 361 undocumented workers were rounded up.
This includes 14 minors, eight of whom were unaccompanied children. The raid turned violent after protestors clashed with law enforcement, and one worker tragically died after falling from a greenhouse.
Glass House Farms official site
Glass House Farms Political Ties and Donations
The raid has also sparked political backlash due to the farm’s deep ties to California Democrats. Graham Farrar, co-founder and president of Glass House, has donated thousands of dollars to Democratic politicians, including $10,000 to Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2018.
He’s also contributed to Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) and the Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee.
According to the LA Times, Farrar was even pictured presenting a giant check to local schools in 2019 for scholarship funding. Yet this public philanthropy contrasts starkly with the federal findings of possible forced labor, human trafficking, and unsafe working conditions.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” the company posted to X (formerly Twitter).
Farrar had also posted, “We are focused on taking care of our people and our plants,” before the message was deleted, according to FOX News.
