A United States Army veteran is suing the federal government after he was detained by immigration agents for three days without being told why, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
George Retes, a 26-year-old US citizen, was arrested on 10 July while driving to his job as a security guard at a farm in Ventura County, California. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were conducting a raid in the area and shattered his car window when he tried to explain he needed to get through. They removed him from the vehicle and detained him without checking his identification.
Retes was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles for three days without access to his family, a lawyer, or any information about the charges against him. In an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, he said he missed his daughter’s third birthday party and was released with no explanation or apology.
The lawsuit, filed with the help of the non-profit Institute for Justice, names the United States government, ICE, Customs and Border Protection, the US Navy, and the FBI. Andrew Wimer, director of media relations at the Institute, said Retes’s rights were clearly violated and that the case aims to protect the rights of others.
Wimer acknowledged that suing federal officials is difficult due to recent Supreme Court rulings narrowing such lawsuits. He expects the government to claim immunity and try to dismiss the case, but the firm is committed to a potentially years-long fight on behalf of Retes.
Retes’s case adds to growing concerns over arrests of US military veterans by federal immigration authorities, with several similar incidents reported in recent months.
