George Retes is a U.S. citizen. He’s a veteran. He served in Iraq.

And last week, he was tear-gassed, dragged from his car, and detained for three days by federal agents—without cause, without charges, and without being allowed to contact a lawyer or his family.

His crime?

Arriving at work during a chaotic ICE raid at a Southern California farm.

Retes repeatedly identified himself as a U.S. citizen. He says officers ignored him, broke his window, pepper-sprayed him, and pinned him to the ground. He missed his daughter’s birthday. He was held in a cell without access to clean clothes or a shower—while covered in chemical irritants. He was never charged with a crime.

This cannot happen in the United States.

We’re calling on the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to open a public investigation into George Retes’ wrongful arrest and to issue clear, enforceable guidance to ICE and federal agents to prevent U.S. citizens from being unlawfully detained in immigration raids.

No American should be arrested for their name, their skin color, or their proximity to a workplace raid. And no veteran should be treated this way on U.S. soil.

What happened to George Retes is a warning. We need answers—and we need change.