A routine ICE raid has exploded into a national controversy after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) of inciting a mob that violently assaulted an ICE agent during an operation in California. DHS officials claim Carbajal’s actions directly led to an agent being injured and hospitalized.
The incident occurred on July 10 during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid targeting a large-scale illegal marijuana grow operation in California—part of a broader crackdown on criminal activity linked to illegal immigration. According to DHS, agents arrested over 360 illegal aliens and rescued 14 underage migrants from the site.
But what was meant to be a law enforcement operation quickly turned into a chaotic scene as roughly 500 left-wing protesters attempted to block the agents. DHS says that Rep. Carbajal was present during the standoff and was approached by an ICE Public Affairs Specialist who handed him a business card—standard protocol for members of Congress observing such operations.
That’s when things reportedly took a dangerous turn. According to DHS, Carbajal held up the business card and effectively doxed the ICE agent in front of an angry crowd. Shortly afterward, the agent was struck with a rock thrown by one of the protesters, causing a deep laceration to his hand that required stitches in a local emergency room.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, issued a blistering statement: “The actions by Representative Carbajal are downright un-American. He dares to claim that his actions were simply congressional oversight, but doxing ICE personnel and inciting a mob of rioters to attack law enforcement is not oversight — it’s abominable.”
McLaughlin highlighted that the assault is part of a troubling pattern. ICE agents have reportedly experienced a staggering 700% increase in violent attacks just this year, and officials are pointing fingers at lawmakers who they say are stoking anti-enforcement sentiment.
Adding fuel to the fire, McLaughlin linked Carbajal’s conduct to another controversial case involving Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), who was recently indicted after storming an ICE detention facility in Newark. McIver faces federal charges for forcibly interfering with ICE officers as they attempted to detain an illegal alien.
“Radical members of Congress like Salud Carbajal and LaMonica McIver are openly encouraging and leading their supporters in assaulting law enforcement,” McLaughlin added, emphasizing the rising dangers ICE personnel face amid growing hostility.
The ICE agent injured in the assault has not been publicly identified. DHS says the individual is recovering but shaken by the incident. No arrests have yet been made in the attack, though officials say investigations are ongoing and are reviewing footage from the scene.
Rep. Carbajal has not publicly responded to the allegations as of this writing, but Democrats are already circling the wagons, suggesting DHS is exaggerating the event for political purposes. Nonetheless, the facts on the ground are hard to ignore: one agent is injured, a crowd clashed with law enforcement, and a sitting member of Congress is now at the center of a federal controversy.
As the debate over immigration and law enforcement escalates ahead of the 2026 midterms, this case could become a flashpoint—not just over border security, but over the rule of law and the conduct expected from elected officials. The July 10 raid, meant to target criminal growers and protect migrant children, may now be remembered instead for exposing just how far the war on ICE has gone.
