By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) -A U.S. citizen and Army veteran who works as a security guard at a California cannabis farm said on Wednesday that U.S. officials arrested him during an immigration raid last week and held him for three days without explanation.
George Retes, 25, told reporters he was manhandled by federal agents who broke his car window, damaged his vehicle and sprayed him with tear gas during the raid last Thursday, when immigration officers were confronted by throngs of angry protesters in Camarillo, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Los Angeles. He said he was released on Sunday afternoon.
“I told them everything – that I was a citizen, I worked there, and they didn’t care. They still never told me my charges, and they sent me away. They sent me to a place in downtown L.A. without even telling me what I was arrested for,” Retes told reporters in a video press conference organized by the United Farm Workers labor union.
“They took two officers to kneel on my back and then one on my neck to arrest me, even though my hands were already behind my back and I was covered in OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray,” Retes said.
The raid was part of an intensified immigration crackdown launched by the administration of President Donald Trump in June. Protesters regularly appear at immigration raids in the Los Angeles area, demonstrating their opposition to the government’s display of force.
Immigrant rights groups have said the raids have periodically ensnared U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed in a statement that Retes was arrested, released and has not been charged.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo,” McLaughlin said.
Retes, who said he works for a security company contracted by the Glass House cannabis farm, said he missed his daughter’s third birthday while in jail and he was planning to sue the federal government.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re an immigrant, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin. … No one deserves to be treated this way,” Retes said. “I hope this never happens to anyone ever again.”
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California, and Jorge Garica in Los Angeles; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
