Fundraiser for farm worker killed in ICE raid tops $150K

A GoFundMe campaign for Jaime Alanis, a 57-year-old California farmworker who died Saturday from injuries sustained in a 30-foot fall during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid, has raised over $150,000 as of Sunday evening.

Newsweek has reached out to Alanis’ niece, Yesenia Duran, for comment via GoFundMe on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Alanis’ death is among the first reported during an ICE raid under President Donald Trump‘s second term. The administration has spearheaded a major immigration crackdown, vowing to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. The initiative has seen an intensification of ICE raids across the country.

Congress has allocated funding for tens of thousands of additional detention beds in the current tax bill, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moves to expand detention capacity and ramp up arrests.

A federal judge on Friday concluded that immigration agents had been “unlawfully” arresting suspected illegal immigrants in Los Angeles and six surrounding counties, marking the latest legal clashes between California and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong imposed two temporary restraining orders (TRO) banning law enforcement from detaining suspected illegal migrants in the area without reasonable suspicion and insisting those arrested must have access to legal counsel.

What To Know

Alanis’ injuries resulted from a Thursday immigration raid at his workplace, Glass House Farms in Camarillo, which cultivates cannabis and some vegetables. A separate Glass House Farms location in Carpinteria was also raided by ICE.

ICE agents, backed by National Guard troops in military-style vehicles, clashed with hundreds of protestors at the raids. California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a video on social media showing children running from tear gas reportedly deployed by federal officers during the raid in Camarillo.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the department was executing criminal search warrants during the raids. In a Saturday X, formerly Twitter, post, she wrote: “Law enforcement rescued 14 children from potential forced labor, exploitation, and trafficking. They arrested 319 illegal aliens.”

Alanis, who had worked at the farm for 10 years according to the United Food Workers (UFW) union, was not among those arrested.

According to family sources, Alanis called relatives saying he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before the fatal fall that broke his neck. He was immediately airlifted to the hospital but remained on life support until his death.

His niece, Duran, previously told the Associated Press that her uncle had a broken neck, fractured skull, and ruptured an artery that delivers blood to his brain. It was confirmed he passed away on Saturday, although the UFW prematurelyreported he died Friday.

An online fundraiser was originally set up for Alanis when it was discovered he fell and was in critical condition. Duran wrote in the GoFundMe that “he was his family’s only provider,” and would send earnings to his wife and daughter in Mexico.

As of Sunday evening, the GoFundMe has taken off, raising more than $151,000 across 4,800 donations. The initialgoal was $50,000.

What People Are Saying

Yesenia Duran, Alanis’ niece who started the GoFundMe in his honor, wrote in a July 12 update on the fundraiser: “With heavy hearts my uncle has passed away.”

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in a emailed statement Friday night: “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 green house and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”

United Farm Workers union wrote in an X post Saturday: “Our hearts are heavy for the grieving family of Jaime Alanis, who died from injuries sustained during a chaotic raid on Thursday. We’ll do everything we can to support them. We continue to work with hundreds of farm worker families navigating the aftermath of this violent raid.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a Thursday X post: “Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility – all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations. This is Newsom’s California.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom shared Scott’s post and added on X: “California prosecutes child exploiters and traffickers. Trump tear-gasses children, rips them from their parents, and deports farmworkers. Priorities.”