In an incident critics are calling both Kafkaesque and classically Californian, a decorated U.S. Army veteran was wrongfully detained and pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a sprawling immigration raid in Ventura County last week.
George Retes, a 25-year-old natural-born citizen and veteran of the Iraq War, was thrown face-first into the federal immigration pipeline after agents apparently decided that “brown, bilingual, and near a border” checked enough boxes for removal proceedings. He was arrested without a warrant, denied medical attention, and held in detention for three days, all without access to legal counsel.
Officials described the raid as part of “routine operations targeting undocumented individuals,” while critics say it’s just the latest entry in what has become a bureaucratic talent show in which immigration agents compete for the gold medal in Constitutional Gymnastics.
“We’re not saying every brown person is undocumented,” said an anonymous ICE source, “just most of them. And sometimes we get confused when they wear camo and display a U.S. flag too proudly. It’s suspicious.”
The Paperwork Paradox
Despite carrying a valid Social Security card, driver’s license, and a U.S. military ID, Retes was reportedly told that "he didn't look like a George Retes." Officials with knowledge of the situation say that, during the raid, ICE was under pressure to “meet removal benchmarks” — a euphemism critics claim translates to “deport now, litigate later.”
One agent was overheard asking a colleague, “Wait, can citizens be illegal too?”
GOP Response: “Mistakes Were Made, But Borders are Sacred”
Conservative leaders were quick to respond with their trademark cocktail of constitutional reverence and selective amnesia.
House Republicans released a statement expressing “concern for Mr. Retes” while reiterating that “border security must remain our top priority, even if that sometimes includes detaining Americans by accident. Collateral patriotism is a price we pay for freedom.”
When asked if detaining a citizen violated the Constitution, Rep. Mark Cleaver (R-TX) replied, “Well, the Founders didn’t anticipate Wi-Fi, TikTok, or anchor babies. The Constitution is a living document… except when it’s not.”
A Flavor of Irony
Retes, who once took an oath to defend the very nation that locked him up, said through his attorney:
“I fought for this country overseas. I didn’t expect to be tear-gassed in it.”
Social media erupted with outrage. Veterans groups, civil rights organizations, and common-sense Americans called the incident a “gut punch to patriotism.” Meanwhile, a fringe contingent of anti-immigration bloggers celebrated the arrest as a “rare example of ICE enforcing border laws on everyone,” suggesting this was evidence of a “truly colorblind America.”
Fox News briefly covered the incident under the headline:
“Vet Detained: ICE Too Efficient?”
Lawsuit Incoming
Retes is now suing the federal government for unlawful detention, civil rights violations, and assault. His legal team says this case will test the boundaries of qualified immunity, the Constitution, and just how far an agency can go in mistaking a U.S. citizen for a deportation stat.
In the end, George Retes didn’t just serve his country — he got served by it.
And in an era where immigration policy is a political football, this veteran may have just become the fumbled pass no one wants to claim.
