A dairy farmer says his livelihood was upended Tuesday when federal agents raided his operation in Lovington, NM 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 of the individuals had previously been deported and another nine had been banned from reentry. The agency did not respond to queries from the Journal.
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.
“It takes 100% of the labor force, so no day is off right now,” Bos said. “It’s detrimental for our cattle. We’re barely able to keep going. And the next problem is going to be the labor I have left, pushing it to the limit.”
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.
“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.”
