The Trump administration pushed back hard this week after California Governor Gavin Newsom — a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender — lashed out at federal immigration enforcement agents over a high-profile raid that uncovered child labor violations and illegal alien criminals working at marijuana grow operations in Southern California.

Newsom took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the coordinated ICE raids last week, which targeted marijuana farms in Ventura County. His post featured footage of migrants fleeing from law enforcement and included a personal jab at President Donald J. Trump.

“Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields. Trump calls me ‘Newscum’ — but he’s the real scum,” Newsom posted, stirring immediate backlash.

But the Department of Homeland Security didn’t back down. In fact, they fired back with receipts.

“These are the violent monsters @GavinNewsom is defending,” wrote DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a sharply worded X post. “This criminal illegal alien was apprehended at the California marijuana facility. He was sentenced to 7 years for KIDNAPPING & attempted RAPE. He also had a prior conviction for attempted child molestation. He was working at the same farm as the 9 unaccompanied children. This is depraved.”

The ICE raids, conducted at Glass House Farms in Camarillo and another facility in Carpinteria, were met with hundreds of protesters — many of whom clashed with federal agents. According to local affiliate KTLA, violence erupted as demonstrators blocked access to the farms and later obstructed traffic along major roadways.

At the Camarillo site, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott confirmed that 10 undocumented minors were found working in the fields, including eight unaccompanied children — prompting immediate investigations into child labor violations and possible trafficking.

“This is Newsom’s California,” Scott wrote bluntly on X.

The Department of Homeland Security echoed that criticism with a biting question directed at the governor: “Why are there children working at a marijuana facility, Gavin?”

In a follow-up post, DHS further slammed the legacy of the previous administration’s lax border enforcement:

“The Biden administration lost ~300,000 unaccompanied children — many of these innocent children were trafficked and exploited. At the Ventura, California marijuana facility, [ICE] and [CBP] law enforcement rescued 8 unaccompanied migrant children from what looks like exploitation, violation of child labor laws and potentially human trafficking or smuggling.”

Federal officials say the discoveries made during the raids could lead to charges not only for immigration violations, but also for labor exploitation and obstruction of justice.

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who confirmed the enforcement actions, warned the public in real-time on X:

“Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm. Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense.”

The situation escalated around midday when federal authorities deployed tear gas and non-lethal rounds to disperse the mob of protesters who had blocked both directions of Laguna Road. Later that afternoon, the FBI announced a manhunt after a suspected gunman fired a weapon at federal agents during the chaos.

“[The] FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo,” Essayli wrote. The incident occurred on July 10 at approximately 2:26 p.m., according to federal authorities.

The Trump administration has made no apologies for the enforcement effort, which officials say uncovered a deeply disturbing reality in California’s sanctuary state — illegal immigrants with violent criminal histories working alongside trafficked children in marijuana fields.