Federal agents arrested hundreds of workers after immigration sweeps at one of California's largest licensed cannabis companies, stoking fears that President Trump might target the marijuana industry The immigration enforcement operations in July at the Camarillo and Carpinteria facilities of Glass House Farms have unsettled California's legal cannabis industry.

The chaotic scene brought to the forefront simmering concerns that weed farms could become an easy target, as the Trump administration ramps up deportations.

Advocates worry that simply working in the cannabis industry could provide the criminal pretext to arrest even a legal immigrant.

The United Farm Workers Union recently advised workers who are not US citizens to avoid jobs in the cannabis industry, even at state-licensed facilities, because weed remains illegal under federal law.

"We know this is unfair," the union wrote in a statement posted to social media, "but we encourage you to protect yourself and your family."

California's legal cannabis market employs an estimated 83,000 people and earns nearly $4.9 billion in sales last year, though its growth is precarious as it struggles to compete with a stubbornly robust illicit industry.

Federal authorities ultimately reported more than 360 arrests of Glass House Farm employees they suspected of being in the country illegally, as well as the recovery of 14 immigrant minors.

The company denied knowingly employing undocumented immigrants or minors.

The operation also resurfaced, for many cannabis industry veterans, traumatic memories of raids during the war on drugs.

The Trump administration has not given an indication whether the raids were an isolated incident or a reflection of shifting enforcement priorities on cannabis.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration did not respond to emailed questions, but other developments signal that momentum may be moving in the opposite direction.

During his confirmation hearing, Trump's nominee to lead the DEA, Terry Cole, would not commit to removing cannabis from the list of serious narcotics and there was an ongoing effort in Congress to block its reclassification.

For CalMatters, I'm Alexei Koseff.