Farmworker hospitalized with critical injuries suffered during immigration raid, family says
CAMARILLO, Calif. (KABC) -- A farmworker suffered serious injuries during an immigration raid at an agricultural area near Camarillo on Thursday, according to his family.
According to a Ventura County Medical Center statement on behalf of the family of Jaime Alanís Garcia, he remains in the hospital in critical condition:
"The family of Mr. Jaime Alanis Garcia has authorized the Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) to release the following information. Mr. Garcia is currently hospitalized at VCMC and remains in critical condition."
The statement was issued Friday at 5:41 p.m.
The news comes after United Farm Workers (UFW), in a series of posts, confirmed some farmworkers were critically injured during the enforcement operation.
"Other workers, including US citizens, remain unaccounted for," they said in a post.
A woman who reached out to Eyewitness News said her family member, Garcia, fell 30 feet off a building while he was possibly trying to run from federal agents chasing him.
He was taken to the hospital with a broken neck and skull.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement that said:
"This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody. Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible."
Garcia's family says he was working at a farm in the area to send money home to his wife and daughter in Mexico.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by family members to help cover medical and funeral expenses.
According to the UFW, the other injured workers are not believed to have life-threatening injuries.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The UFW says Garcia has died, contradicting the statement from the hospital on behalf of his family. An earlier version of this story reported Garcia's death based on the UFW statement. We have updated this post based on the latest information from the Ventura County Medical Center on Garcia's condition.
