George Retes is an American citizen who was born and raised in California. He enlisted in the Army and deployed to Iraq to serve his country. This summer, while he was on his way to work outside of Los Angeles, ICE agents stopped him, shattered his car window, pepper sprayed him, threw him to the ground, and took him to a detention center.
Locked in a cell, he was denied medical treatment for his injuries, including the pepper spray that was still burning his skin. After a talk with prison staff, he was placed on suicide watch and not allowed to contact his family or a lawyer. Throughout the whole process, he was never formally charged with any crime or given any information about when—or if—he would be free.
After three days of mistreatment, they abruptly told him he could leave, without an explanation or apology. When he asked the guard about what had just happened to him, the person just stared. He got his clothes and belongings back and was sent on his way. And while his family is relieved to have him back, his story should be a warning to the rest of us:
If they can do this to George, they can do this to anyone.
Home of the Brave is out with this brand-new video of George telling his story and explaining why it’s so important to speak out against this kind of abuse. The administration would rather have this incident go away. They’ve already lied about George in official DHS press releases and tried to explain away his arrest and imprisonment. But the only way to get accountability is to refuse to be silenced—and that’s exactly what George is doing.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has stated that “no American citizens have been arrested or detained” by ICE, which George’s story proves is a lie. Meanwhile, her agency is running a $51 million taxpayer-funded propaganda blitz in order to recruit ICE agents who will do Trump’s bidding. In response, Home of the Brave is running a one-minute cut of George’s story as an ad on streaming platforms nationwide, targeting audiences that have already seen a DHS/ICE ad.
It’s our job to stop this administration from bulldozing facts and truth and replacing them with dystopian propaganda. That’s what we’re committed to doing everyday. If you want to help us keep bringing the truth to light and fighting Trump’s brazen lies, support Home of the Brave:
Home of the Brave is an initiative dedicated to highlighting the harms of Trump’s second term.
