A U.S. Army veteran is calling for a federal investigation after he says he was wrongfully detained during a recent immigration raid in Ventura County.
George Retes, 25, works as a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo. He said he was reporting to work on the morning of July 10 when he was surrounded by federal immigration agents, pepper sprayed, tear gassed and pulled from his car at gunpoint — despite being a U.S. citizen.
“They weren’t organized at all,” Retes said during a press conference held Wednesday by the United Farm Workers. “Every single officer was giving me different commands. Some are telling me to reverse, some are trying to rip my door open, some are banging on my windshield.”
Retes said he identified himself as a citizen and explained that he worked at the site, but was still taken into custody without being told the reason. He said he was held in downtown Los Angeles for three days without charges, legal representation or medical care and was placed on suicide watch.
“I told them everything. I was a citizen, I worked there, and they didn't care,” he said. “They never told me my charges and they sent me away.”
Retes is now calling for a full investigation into the raid, his arrest and detention, which he says violated his civil rights.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have not responded to requests for comment.
