FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Representing Buen Vecino in its lawsuit to compel disclosure of public records, the First Amendment Coalition and attorneys Gregory Pleasants and Shaffy Moeel have reached a settlement agreement with Ventura County and its sheriff to disclose video footage showing what deputy sheriffs did at a controversial immigration enforcement operation at Glass House Farms last July.
“A sheriff truly dedicated to transparency would have released the videos without a lawsuit, but now that the case has been settled, the people can see for themselves what the videos show,” said Willie Lubka, executive director of Buen Vecino, a nonprofit community organization that protects and advances immigrants’ rights. “The people of Ventura County have a right to know what their deputy sheriffs were doing at an immigration raid.”
During the raid, one person died after falling from a greenhouse roof, and more than 300 individuals were arrested. Federal officers tear-gassed community members and relatives of Glass House workers who were present at the site of the raid. Some California elected officials denounced the raid, which was widely covered by local and national press. The lawsuit demanded release of bodyworn camera footage of deputies at the raid, whom, according to the sheriff, were present only to “keep the peace between protestors and federal agents.”
Weeks later, Buen Vecino asked the sheriff’s department for copies of “any and all body-worn camera footage, including audio, video, or photographs recorded at or in relation to the operation.” The department denied the request, contending the footage was exempt from disclosure as a record of a law enforcement investigation. The lawsuit, filed in November, argued that the California Public Records Act’s exemption for investigatory records does not apply to this case because the sheriff said the officers were present to keep the peace, not to investigate any alleged crimes.
“The public wins whenever there is more transparency in government, especially about law enforcement operations. I’m glad the county agreed to disclose video footage so the people can make up their own minds about the presence of local law enforcement at this controversial incident,” said David Loy, FAC’s legal director.
“The California Public Records Act and our State Constitution give every Californian the fundamental right to know — beyond the official story — what our government officials are doing,” said Pleasants. “Now the public can judge for itself the deputy sheriffs’ actions at the Glass House immigration raid that day.”
“Transparency is not a courtesy government extends to the public — it’s a democratic obligation,” said Moeel.
The video footage released by the sheriff’s department can be found here and here.
Buen Vecino v. County of Ventura was filed in Superior Court, County of Ventura.