Anderson .Paak Supporting Ventura Immigrant Farmers & Fieldworkers Via Brandon Anderson Foundation

In response to recent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeting farmworkers in California’s Ventura County, Anderson .Paak has announced that his Brandon Anderson Foundation will be “providing monetary assistance to immigrant farmers and fieldworkers who have been uprooted from their homes and separated from their communities due to systemic displacement.” 

Over the past few months disturbing videos have been shared across social media and news sites of ICE agents, who are often masked and driving unmarked cars, snatching people who are accused of being illegal immigrants. On July 10 one of the biggest immigration raids of the year took place at two Glass House legal cannabis farm sites in Camarillo and Carpinteria with Department of Homeland Security officials saying they had detained more than 360 people, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The incident included the arrest of George Retes, a 25-year-old Army veteran and U.S. citizen who is the father of two children and had been trying to get to his job as a security guard at Glass House farms. Retes told the Los Angeles Times that after ICE agents smashed his car window, pepper-sprayed him and dragged him out of his vehicle at gunpoint, he was detained at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles for three days – despite telling ICC he’s a U.S. citizen. 

The LA Times reported that many workers at Glass House tried to flee when ICE arrived and a 56-year-old worker named Jaime Alanis Garcia died after falling three stories.

In June ICE also targeted produce farms and packinghouses in Ventura County, with at least 35 people reportedly detained in the raids in Oxnard and surrounding communities, according to the LA Times.

The raids have especially hit close to the heart of musician, director, and philanthropist Anderson .Paak, whose mother was an immigrant from Korea and a farmer in Ventura County. The artist was born in Oxnard and even dedicated his third studio album to the city.

An announcement from the PR team for .Paak (who was born Brandon Paak Anderson) notes that “immigrant families often navigate dire circumstances with limited access to resources  such as legal representation, housing, and basic needs. In response, the Brandon Anderson Foundation is aligning our efforts with community organizers, legal advocates, and shelters to support families with wraparound services. Through this alignment children and families will have access to essentials.” 

BAF is supporting families in Ventura County via monetary donations to Friends of Field Workers, Harvesting Humanity, and Immigrant Defenders Law Center.

“We will stand and fight to protect the people who’ve been the backbone of the community for generations,” .Paak said in a statement.

Tuesday’s announcement adds that the foundation is committed to serving the most vulnerable families across Southern California and beyond  via upcoming fundraisers, donations and partnerships with community-driven groups, as well as BAF’s signature .Paak House event.  

The Brandon Anderson Foundation is a California-based 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to creating initiatives that educate, empower, engage, and encourage marginalized  youth and young adults to follow their dreams by providing access to programs, resources, the arts, and education.

Visit www.paakhouse.org and follow @paakhouse on social media for more information.