DHS accuses veteran of assault after he writes about his arrest

George RETES JR. He grew up in Southern California and decided to serve in the US army when he was 18, because he wanted to be part of something bigger than him.

After a task tour in Iraq, Retes returned to Ventura County this year to find a job and spend more time with his wife and two little children. In February, he started to work as a contracted security guard for Glass House Farms in the cannabis greenhouses in Camarillo. Then, on July 10, trying to start work, Ice Raine Cam House, one of the biggest migration raids so far, changed.

Federal officials surrounded the rejection and pushed him to the ground. The officers could hardly breathe when they kneelled on their back and neck. He was arrested, thrown into prison for three days and was not allowed to make a phone call or to see a lawyer, According to the Institute of Justice, A public interest that represents it.

President Trump has never blamed rejection. But then An op-ed wrote DHS began to publish new charges against him, saying that he had been arrested for the attack during the raid of the 25 -year -old veteran. Retes said he never resisted and now he was aiming to retaliate because he spoke about an illegal arrest.

Orum All my aim to share my story is trying to warn as many people as possible, ”he said in an interview this week. “It doesn’t matter if you are [politically] Left, right, if you voted for Trump, if you hated him, love it, it doesn’t matter. This affects us all. “

On July 10, Retes headed to work around 14.00 and the narrow road to the farm Logjammed. Compact White Hyundai, parked cars and protesters, decided to make his shift.

He stood brief when a series of federal officers came to the farm. 25 -year -old Retes wore shorts and hooded, got off his car and tried to tell the federal agents that he was working on the farm.

The agents ignored him and told him to withdraw. So he returned to his car and tried to back up, while the agents began to distribute tear gas boxes towards the crowd. As the gas car infiltrated, Retes began hacking and coughing, and the federal officers began to hit the car door. He told him that they gave him instructions for the contradictory action.

The agents shredded the car window, Pepper sprayed him, took him out of the car and arrested him. He was handcuffed and was released without any explanation after he was in prison for three days.

On September 16 Piece for San Francisco Chronicle – “I am a US citizen who was arrested and kept wrong by ICE. That is why you can be in line” – Retes detailed his ordeal. Within the scope of the Federal Tort requests, the US government has started legal action to file a lawsuit. More than 360 people were arrested in the raid, including many undocumented immigrants, and one person died.

“I served my country. I wore the uniform, I stopped and believed in the values ​​we say that it made us different. And still here, I was taken into custody in our own lands,” he wrote. “He was removed from my rights, he was treated as I did not belong and lock – as an American citizen and veteran … If he can come to me, he may happen to any of us.”

Internal security officials did not answer the comments or answers questions about the allegations of attack.

Previously, an anonymous spokesman of the internal security was released for the accusation and his case was reviewed with others for potential federal accusations on the execution of the federal search in Camarillo ”.

One day after Retes was published, He said agency rejection “He entered violence and refused to obey the law enforcement officers. He challenged the intermediaries and refused to remove his vehicle from the road and blocked his routes. CBP arrested the rejection for the attack.”

The agency rejected that US citizens have been wrongly arrested by immigration and customs execution. Post said that the operations were “high -target”.

“This kind of garbage has led to a more than 1000% increase in attacks on the enforcement officers, Ağ said the Agency said.

RETES said that the agency was amazed to learn about the latest claims about July 10 – moments caught in the video. He says DHS officials are lying.

“I was shocked,” he said. The agency said, “Okay, what we’re doing was wrong, we’ll take responsibility.”

Anya Bidwell, the lawyer and senior lawyer of the Institute of Justice, said the government is only important for the government to choose to respond after its part has been published.

“When people in this country are based on this government, this government responds angrily, Bid said Bidwell. “They are trying to impose their reality version.

One air video Retes, who caught the first conflict, is seen to last up to the line of agents. He goes out of his car and stays on the driver’s side while trying to reason with agents. About 20 seconds later, the agents return to their car while pressing forward. They surround their car in seconds, and at the same time, they press the protesters when they start to throw tear gas tin boxes.

In his car, he starts to register on the RETES phone. Authorized, he said he was slowly backing up until it became difficult to see where the tear gas is going.

“I’m trying to leave!” The agents say while hitting the car. There is a high crack when breaking the car glass window. Okay, I’m sorry!

The agents spray pepper and detain him. A video released online shows a group of agents surrounding RETES and face to face on the road. Another agent jumps into his car and moves him towards the side of the road.

Retes said he was kneeling around an agent’s neck and that he was on the other’s back. He was taken to the metropolitan detention center in Los Angeles and was held in a cell with a arrested protester. When he was in prison, he said he had kidnapped his daughter’s third birthday.

After being released, Retes said that he was suspended from his job without paying for two weeks due to arrest, and when he returned, he said that regular shifts were no longer available. Staying would make it difficult to see his family, so he had to leave.

He also said that the car window had to spend about $ 1,200 to be fixed and detailed from tear gas.

Despite the actions of the Trump administration, Retes said that his belief in the government and accountability for justice is stable. Just as he joined the army, he said that he was still stuck with a sense of unity that would stand against the values ​​of the country.

“I still believe that justice can be restored – so I stand up and talk,” he said. “I think it is more important than ever to be united and coming together for our rights. Especially when they have the courage to try to lie to the people, especially when they have the courage to lie.”