After immigration raid at Lovington dairy, officials address community fears (New Mexico)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | June 7, 2025 | Algernon D'Ammassa / Journal Staff Writer

[CedarDave]

A dairy farmer says his livelihood was upended Tuesday when federal agents raided his operation in Lovington and arrested nearly a dozen workers.

Isaak Bos said masked Homeland Security Investigations agents armed with rifles swept onto the property without warning, brushing past signs asking visitors to check in as a protective measure against H5 bird flu.

Bos said the surprise raid followed an audit of the dairy’s employment records a few months ago. The dairy was not accused of wrongdoing, but Bos said he was required to fire 24 employees on the spot Tuesday, as well as the 11 who were arrested.

“They passed us false paperwork,” Bos said of the former employees, all of whom lived locally.

HSI’s El Paso office announced it had executed a search warrant the following day in a social media post on X, reporting that 11 people unlawfully present in the U.S. were arrested “for violations of fraud & misuse of visas, permits & other documents.”

The post claimed that one individual had previously been deported and another nine had been banned from reentry. The agency did not respond to Journal queries.

Losing 35 out of 55 workers at that particular facility meant milk production had effectively ceased, Bos said, with all available hands — including nonfarm staff, family members and some high school students on summer break — focused on caring for the livestock until more workers could be found.

Bos said the raid also had an intimidating effect on his remaining staff. “It scared a bunch of other people, too, so it’s just going to be a domino effect right now.”

The raid came up Thursday during a town hall in Hobbs as a question posed by a local resident to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and other local leaders.

[CedarDave]

Link to the town hall meeting in Hobbs and a short excerpt:
New Mexico governor seeks common ground at Lea County town hall

HOBBS — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled to the southeast corner of the state Thursday for a town hall in Lea County, in the heart of New Mexico’s Permian Basin region, where most of New Mexico’s oil is produced and 33% of its gas.

She acknowledged a perception in Eddy and Lea counties, which are deeply steeped in the petroleum industry on which New Mexico’s budget depends yet struggling with aging infrastructure and gaps in services, that resources produced in the region “disappear into Santa Fe and never come back.”

“That really isn’t the case,” she said, summarizing $461 million in local projects supported with state funds. “A lot of it comes back here, as it should. … But until every family feels it, it’s not enough. Until every business thrives and expands, it’s not enough. Until we have enough law enforcement officers and safer roads, it’s not enough.”

[CedarDave]

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[vikingd00d]

>>Bos said the raid also had an intimidating effect on his remaining staff.

If his remaining staff are legal, why would they be intimidated?

[CedarDave]

Here is the town hall discussion on the raid (posted from another article):

The raid came up Thursday during a town hall in Hobbs as a question posed by a local resident to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and other local leaders.

“There’s no law enforcement agency in this county that enforces federal immigration law, period,” Lea County Sheriff Corey Helton said after the governor was asked about this year’s uptick in federal raids in New Mexico and across the U.S.

Local officials acknowledged community fears that routine transactions, such as seeking medical care or contacting local law enforcement, come with enhanced risks for some as the Trump administration proceeds with its signature policy of mass detention and deportation of immigrants, executing sweeps at workplaces, courthouses and other public places that have collared people legally present in the country as well as those here unlawfully.

“The notion that people are afraid to call the police or the sheriff’s office — that rumor has to end,” Helton continued, citing public safety. “Law enforcement in this county, whether you’re a city police officer or county, will never ask you your immigration status.”

Lujan Grisham said she had no objection to federal law enforcement directed at “bad actors,” but was concerned that widespread fear of deportations might be making it more difficult for district attorneys to prosecute domestic criminals.

“It is a real issue, and I’m very worried about it,” Lujan Grisham told the town hall. “The DAs are telling me that people won’t come forward as witnesses. It’s a real issue. I think this is poorly thought out.”

[ansel12]

As in every other field taken over by these illegals, it wasn’t done all at once, there wasn’t all this work that Americans didn’t want to do and then suddenly whoosh, illegals took over that area of American life, instead they stole the jobs with the help of greedy employers one town at a time, one city at a time, one state at a time, pushing out the locals as they went.

Areas with no illegals got all the work done and there are probably still all white, perhaps even some all black enclaves in this vast country that haven’t been infiltrated yet, but the work still gets done, hotel beds made, grass mowed, roofs put on, dishes washed, tables bussed, cows milked.

[Sparticus]

Until employers start feeling afraid of being imprisoned for employing illegals, we’re never going to get illegals to self deport in the numbers we need them to.

[CedarDave]

They’re likely all Hispanics and listen to the same crap from activists that is being pushed in LA this weekend.

[ckilmer]

New Mexico has become heavily Mexican. Is it your opinion that these kinds of raids will push New Mexico halt the slow drift toward the republicans in the last several elections?

South Texas has trended Republican. Their Mexican population is around 90 percent. California has also been drifting toward republicans in the last several elections.

Unless the American citizens of Mexican descent understand the game—its my opinion that the ICE raids are going to halt and even reverse the drift of these populations toward republicans.

What are you seeing as the effects of these raids in New Mexico?

[Flint]

The dairy farmers lively hood was upended when he hired illegals.

[9YearLurker]

Maybe it is time for dairy farmers to hire legal (mostly American) workers. They may have to bring said jobs in line with community work standards, but that’s all the better.

Holding that and all industries to such a legal standard is very good and fair. Letting most dairies keep illegals such that the few going legit can’t compete is bad and wrong.

[wetgundog]

It is the resposibility for the employer to vet his job seekers. His is probably not paying the standard wage, nor Social Security. Hwe is taking advantage of these illegals. I hope he gets fined and maybe lose his business and get sent to prison. No Sympathy for this dips hit.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

—its my opinion that the ICE raids are going to halt and even reverse the drift of these populations toward republicans.

Completely agree. Even I am getting annoyed with the self sabotaging optics. There are so many stronger measures that can be taken to disincentivize the factors keeping the millions already here from staying. Stricter oversight of social benefits, visas, doubling down on DOGE, further beefing up of border patrol, leveraging economic trade with Mexico.

Raiding and holding captive a dozen here & there is only making things worse and isn’t going to make a dent in actually solving the problem! 😠🤦🏻‍♀️

[CedarDave]

These raids are different than the ones being carried out by ICE in sanctuary cities and states. Those are targeting criminals (beyond being just an illegal) and also sweep up other illegals who would not likely be arrested if Blue city and state officials cooperated with ICE at jails.

As a close knit Hispanic community there, these do affect workers and families here legally and if citizens, might cause the reaction you describe. There has been proposed legislation to increase legal immigration for these workers but it always accompanied the need to secure the border and was DOA by Dems in Congress.

[ckilmer]

yeah. imho in the blue states the way to go is to cut off all their federal benefits, kill their ability to vote and set up stronger regulations against hiring illegals. finally, kill the remittance trade. then make it really easy for them to return to their home countries. then do a high profile ice raids on really bad criminals but leave it at that.

In the red states they can do all the above AND bring in ICE in force to remove all illegals.

[VanShuyten]

“But, who will wipe the cows’ asses?”

[CondoleezzaProtege]

yeah. imho in the blue states the way to go is to cut off all their federal benefits, kill their ability to vote and set up stronger regulations against hiring illegals. finally, kill the remittance trade. then make it really easy for them to return to their home countries. then do a high profile ice raids on really bad criminals but leave it at that.

In the red states they can do all the above AND bring in ICE in force to remove all illegals.

Bingo. Why the foolery from the administration is beyond me, but Trump had been shortsighted many times before. Can’t identify every achilles heel of his but wish he had better advisors, lesser short term ego trips, and as a Christian, I wish he consulted directly with God.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

It's not hard: just follow the law. Why should Mister Green Jeans have his own special carve out?

His competitors don't get the same most favored farmer status. And when these amigos retire
and their social security account is empty, who is going to pay to take care of them?

[Organic Panic]

Arrest that fr for hiring illegals. No way in heck he didn’t know he was hiring illegals. Business owners who hire illegals need to pay severely

[utax]

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Thommas]

..the raid also had an intimidating effect on his remaining [illegal alien]staff. “It scared a bunch of other people, too..