The veteran says he was confronted by federal officers who dragged him out of his car, sprayed him with tear gas and pepper spray and detained him.
The Center Square by Jamie Parsons
An American Army veteran has filed a suit against the Trump Administration after federal agents detained him on July 10 during an immigration raid in a marijuana field north of Los Angeles.
George Retes is a former military officer and a current security guard for Glass House Farms. He was at work when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted a raid on the Ventura County Farm. CBS Los Angeles reported that Retes claimed agents held him for three days in detention without any medical treatment or the ability to speak to his family.
Retes said he was sitting in his car near the marijuana factory when protesters started to fight with Customs and Border Protection agents. Retes reported that federal agents confronted and detained Retes shortly thereafter. They allegedly dragged Retes out of his vehicle, used tear gas, pepper spray, and detained Retes. Retes claimed that federal officers would not tell him the reason for his arrest and ignored him when Retes stated he is a U.S. national.
Retes, who was “emotionally distraught,” according to reports in the media, was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown Los Angeles. He then placed him into a cell for suicide watch.
Retes told reporters that he has filed a lawsuit against the federal government in order to bring attention to what happened. Retes said what happened to Retes can happen to anyone. He said he hopes his lawsuit will help prevent people from experiencing what he went through.
In a Monday press release, the Department of Homeland Security addressed the Camarillo raid but didn’t mention Retes.
Homeland Security was contacted by The Center Square on Thursday for a comment, but no response was received.
The DHS said at least 361 illegal immigrants were arrested from Camarillo and another immigration raid that occurred on the same day farther north at the Glass House Farms site in Carpinteria. DHS reported that 10 children who were on the Camarillo property were among at least 14 other unaccompanied minors. Homeland Security reported that the children had been sent to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
DHS spoke about the Camarillo children that were found on X. The department said it’s focused on protecting children and plans on continuing its partnership with law enforcement to make sure children are safe.
Glass House Brands, Glass House Farms’ parent company, said the farm company “fully complied” with the search warrants given to them by federal agents in a post on X on July 10.
Glass House Brands also said the company has “never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” in a post on X on July 11.
The Center Square published this article first.
Side Pocket Images. Image courtesy Chris Wallis.