A U.S. citizen and military veteran who claims he was wrongfully detained during a federal immigration raid in California has drawn a sharp response from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — and from his lawyer, who accused the agency of refusing to take responsibility for its actions.
George Retes, 25, was arrested in July during a raid on a cannabis farm in Ventura County, California. In an op-ed published by the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday, Retes wrote that he was pepper-sprayed, zip-tied, and jailed for three days despite repeatedly identifying himself as an American citizen and Army veteran. He also said agents ignored his identification, used force against him, and left him unable to contact a lawyer.
