'Never Give Up' -- How to Break Through Government Silence on Immigration Raids

When immigration agents raided a Ventura County farm last July, local law enforcement showed up alongside federal officers — even though California law forbids local agencies from collaborating with immigration enforcement. One farmworker died, and over 360 migrants were arrested in one of the largest immigration sweeps since Trump took office.

But when activists and journalists demanded records explaining why local deputies were involved, the county refused to comply. They cited the California Privacy Rights Act’s "Investigatory Privilege," claiming the raid was part of a criminal investigation and thus exempt from disclosure.

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC), representing immigrant rights nonprofit Buen Vecino, pushed back with a lawsuit. They won the release of 10 hours of body camera footage and other public records last month, exposing the local deputies’ true role: security and crowd control, not investigation. This distinction was crucial in overcoming the county’s legal shield.

David Loy, FAC’s legal director, emphasized the public’s right to know how law enforcement wields its extraordinary power. “The government works for the people, the people don’t work for the government,” he said during a recent American Community Media briefing. Loy advises reporters facing stonewalling to “be polite, but be persistent” — even to the point of being obnoxious — to force agencies to comply.

FAC’s press education specialist Thadeus Greenson highlighted the importance of targeting specific types of records: oversight documents, contracts, communications, and law enforcement files. For example, recent CalMatters reporting uncovered a secret agreement between the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and private prison operator CoreCivic that handed over sexual assault investigations to the detention center warden.

Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests are another tool but come with challenges. Elizabeth Clemons from MuckRock warns against vague or overly broad requests that agencies can easily ignore or delay. Instead, she recommends using local reporting and existing data to craft precise requests that match real-world activities.

FOIA delays have worsened under the current administration due to staffing cuts and surging demand, making persistence even more essential. For stuck reporters, FAC and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press offer free legal hotlines for guidance.

Mapping and tracking local immigration enforcement is critical but complex work. Syracuse University’s Austin Kocher, who has spent nearly 20 years studying enforcement geography, stresses the importance of combining multiple data sources to reveal patterns and hold authorities accountable.

The Ventura County case is a blueprint for how to fight back against government secrecy and expose the expanding role of local law enforcement in immigration crackdowns. The message from experts is clear: never give up. The public deserves transparency about how those with badges and guns exercise their power — and the truth is out there, if you know where and how to look.