A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm has said federal agents pepper-sprayed him.
George Retes, a 25-year-old security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was also tear-gassed and dragged from his car by government agents during an immigration raid on July 10, despite identifying himself as a U.S. citizen.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has directed immigration agencies to ramp up enforcement operations in sanctuary states. California has become a key battleground state for immigration enforcement, with tensions running high between federal authorities and local communities. The operation began in Los Angeles and, according to local officials, has caused growing fear among immigrant communities.
What To Know
Retes said he had just arrived at work when agents surrounded his vehicle, broke his window and pinned him to the ground before taking him into custody.
“It took two officers to nail my back and then one on my neck to arrest me even though my hands were already behind my back,” Retes said.
The Ventura City native said he enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18 and served for four years, including a deployment to Iraq in 2019.
He said he was detained during raids at two Southern California farms, where federal authorities arrested more than 360 people. Protesters faced federal agents in military-style gear, and one farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof.
Retes was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was placed under suicide watch and monitored daily after experiencing emotional distress related to his detainment and missing his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday on July 12.
He said federal agents did not inform him of the reason for his arrest or allow him to contact a lawyer or his family during the three days he was in custody.
Retes also alleged that he was not permitted to shower or change clothes despite being exposed to tear gas and pepper spray. He said his hands burned throughout the first night.
On Sunday, an officer asked him to sign a document and escorted him out of the detention center, informing him that he was not facing any charges, he said.
What People Are Saying
George Retes said: “The way they’re going about this entire deportation process is completely wrong, chasing people who are just working, especially trying to feed everyone here in the U.S. No one deserves to be treated the way they treat people.”
Savanna Torres, Retes’ aunt, wrote in a social media post: “This is him on the ground after being pulled from his vehicle for no reason other than driving trying to leave WORK!! What we have been told was that he is being held in some detention center in downtown LA and allegedly there due to ‘interference.'”
California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a news conference on Wednesday: “People are quite literally disappearing with no due process, no rights.”
Read the full article here
