Combat veteran detained 3 days without charges during marijuana farm raid
Oct 26, 2025 · California Central Coast

George Retes, a disabled American combat veteran, was detained for three days without access to a lawyer or ability to contact family during a massive immigration raid on a marijuana farm where he worked as a security guard. His family could not locate him until they recognized his car in a TikTok video from the scene; agents broke his car window, pepper sprayed him, and tackled him. Retes suffered injuries including a cut leg from broken glass and burns from lingering pepper spray. Despite DHS later claiming he was arrested for assault, he was released without charges and was never told why he was arrested. Retes missed his daughter's third birthday and told ProPublica that agents knew he was a citizen but did not care.
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