George Retes, 25 years old and a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and, despite identifying himself as a U.S. citizen, shattered his window, sprayed tear gas into the vehicle, and pulled him out by force.
“Two agents were needed to immobilize me from behind and then one on the neck to arrest me, even though my hands were already behind my back,” Retes said.
Mass farm raids led to the detention of hundreds
The Ventura-born man was detained during chaotic raids on two Southern California farms, where federal authorities arrested more than 360 people, one of the largest operations since President Donald Trump took office in January. Protesters confronted federal agents wearing military-style gear, and a farm worker died after falling from the roof of a greenhouse.
The raids came after more than a month of intensified immigration enforcement by the Trump administration across Southern California, which initially focused on Los Angeles, where local officials say federal actions are sowing fear in immigrant communities.
California Governor Gavin Newsom spoke about the raids at a Wednesday press conference, labeling Trump an “agent of chaos” who has incited violence and sowed fear in communities.
“Someone fell 30 feet because they were terrified to death and lost their life,” he said, referring to the farm worker who died during the raids. “People are literally disappearing without due process, without rights.”
Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said they placed him in a special suicide-watch cell and checked on him daily after he became emotionally distressed by the experience and by missing his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday party on Saturday.
He indicated that federal agents never told him why he was arrested nor allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during the three days he was held. Authorities never allowed him to shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas, Retes added, and he said his hands burned throughout the first night in custody.
On Sunday, a federal agent had him sign a paper and released him from the detention center. He said he was told there were no charges against him.
When he asked for an explanation, Retes received silence
“They gave me nothing I could understand,” Retes said, explaining that he received silence when he asked upon leaving why he had been “locked up for three days with no reason and no charges.”
Tricia McLaughlin, Undersecretary of Homeland Security, confirmed Retes’ arrest but did not specify the charges.
“George Retes was arrested and has been released,” she stated. “He has not been charged. The federal prosecutor’s office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for possible federal charges related to carrying out the federal search warrant in Camarillo.”
A federal judge ordered on Friday the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate detentions and arrests of immigrants without warrants in seven California counties, including Los Angeles. Immigrant rights activists accused federal agents of detaining people because they appeared to be Hispanic. The Department of Justice appealed on Monday, seeking to stay the order.
The Pentagon also said on Tuesday it was ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles. That’s about half the number the government sent to the city in response to immigration protests. Some of those troops had been accompanying federal agents during immigration operations.
Retes said he joined the Army at 18 and served four years, including a deployment to Iraq in 2019.
“I joined the service to better myself,” he said. “I did it because I love this (expletive) country. We are a nation and, no matter what happens, we should be together. All this division and back-and-forth among everyone is just not how it should be.”
The veteran vows to sue the federal authorities over his experience
Retes said he plans to file a lawsuit for false imprisonment.
“The way they’re carrying out this deportation process is completely wrong, targeting people who are only working, especially those trying to feed everyone here in the United States,” he said. “No one deserves to be treated the way they treat people.”
Retes said he was arrested alongside Jonathan Caravello, a professor at California State University, North Island campus, who is also a U.S. citizen. Caravello was arrested for tossing a tear gas canister at federal agents, wrote federal prosecutor Bill Essayli on X.
The California Faculty Association said Caravello was detained by agents who did not identify themselves or tell him why he was being arrested. Like Retes, the association said the professor remained in custody without being allowed to contact his family.
Caravello was trying to free a tear gas canister that had become stuck beneath someone’s wheelchair, witnesses told KABC, the Los Angeles affiliate of ABC.
A federal judge ordered Caravello released on Monday on $15,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for August 1.
“I want everyone to know what happened. This isn’t just about one person,” Retes said. “It doesn’t matter what color your skin is. It doesn’t matter if you’re white. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or if you serve this country. They don’t care. They’re just there to meet a quota.”
