Residents on Santa Maria’s south side are demanding answers after what appeared to be a large-scale federal immigration-enforcement operation unfolded early Thursday morning at East Valley Farms, off Telephone Road.

Community members, farmworkers and volunteers with local rapid-response networks say dozens of federal agents, some identifying as Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detained multiple individuals, deployed flashbangs, and blocked off portions of the surrounding neighborhood.

Videos circulating on social media show tactical vehicles, agents in plain clothes or tactical gear, and multiple detentions, but do not clearly identify agencies. Witnesses estimate that between 15 and 20 people were taken from homes and nearby fields, though the number has not be

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