Camarillo leaders, sheriff and residents clash over federal immigration raids; city promises bilingual resources

Camarillo officials and residents spent much of the Aug. 13 meeting focused on federal immigration enforcement after a July 10 immigration operation in the county drew dozens of arrests and months of neighborhood concern.

The session included a detailed explanation from Ventura County Sheriff James Freihoff about the department’s handling of the July 10 “Glass House” enforcement action, a pledge from the mayor’s office to produce bilingual informational videos and web resources, and sustained public comment urging the city to take immediate legal and programmatic steps on behalf of farmworker and immigrant families.

Why it matters: Residents described ongoing fear in farmworker neighborhoods, interrupted schooling and missed medical appointments for children after the raids. Community groups and many public speakers asked the city to pursue immediate, local actions — including joining a pending ACLU case and supporting a county legal defense fund — to provide information, legal help and humanitarian relief.

Sheriff Freihoff said the county’s role is limited by California law and by federal supremacy but emphasized his department follows Senate Bill 54 and will not participate in immigration enforcement. He told the council his deputies “will not hold [people] beyond the release time” and that the department notifies ICE only…