Friday☕️

11 Jul 2025 — 4 min read

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Yesterday, July 10, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducted a raid at Glass House Farms, a marijuana cultivation facility in Camarillo, Ventura County, California, where they found ten undocumented juveniles, eight of whom were unaccompanied migrant children. The operation, which also targeted a related site in Carpinteria, is investigating potential violations of child labor laws and possible human trafficking or smuggling. The presence of minors in a cannabis operation raised concerns about exploitation, prompting federal scrutiny. Protests during the raid led to confrontations, with agents deploying tear gas, resulting in injuries and arrests. While the investigation continues, no conclusive evidence of trafficking has been publicly confirmed, and details about the children’s working conditions remain limited. This incident highlights the broader vulnerability of unaccompanied minors to labor exploitation in industries that may employ undocumented workers.

A 2024 Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report noted that ICE failed to issue court notices to 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children between 2018 and 2023, a period covering multiple administrations, raising questions about their safety and oversight. These children, processed by CBP and placed with sponsors by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), were not consistently tracked for immigration proceedings, leading to concerns about their well-being. Human trafficking, in this context, typically involves coercion or deception to exploit individuals for labor (e.g., forced work in agriculture or construction) or sex, often facilitated by smugglers or exploitative sponsors who take advantage of minors’ lack of legal status and oversight. Federal welfare checks are underway to locate these children, but systemic gaps in sponsor vetting and tracking persist, necessitating stronger safeguards to prevent exploitation.

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Geopolitics & Military Activity:

On July 10, 2025, Russia conducted a large-scale air assault on Ukraine, launching 400 drones and 18 missiles targeting Kyiv and other regions, resulting in two deaths, 23 injuries, and extensive damage to residential and commercial buildings. This attack, the second in two days after a record 728-drone strike, tested Ukraine’s air defenses, which neutralized most drones, though debris sparked fires and disrupted civilian life as people sought shelter in metro stations and basements. Russia’s intensified aerial campaign, up significantly since June 2025, aims to strain Ukraine’s resources.

Simultaneously, diplomatic and international support efforts advanced. In Kuala Lumpur, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held direct talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at an ASEAN meeting, pressing for a clear plan to end the conflict and noting potential new U.S. sanctions. In Rome, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy secured over €10 billion ($10.8 billion) in reconstruction pledges, including €2.3 billion ($2.5 billion) from the European Commission, while pushing for more weapons and access to frozen Russian assets. The U.S. resumed deliveries of artillery and Patriot missiles, backed by President Trump, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered to supply additional Patriot systems.

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