Army Vet Arrested in ICE Raid Was “Too Brown to Trust” Claims DHS Spokesperson

CAMARILLO — The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that the arrest of George Retes—an American citizen and Army veteran—during last week’s immigration raid at Glass House Farms was “regrettable,” but defended the agents’ actions by citing what it called “reasonable visual profiling.”

“He said he was a citizen, yes,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. “But in that moment, surrounded by brown people and greenhouses, agents had to make a split-second judgment. And unfortunately, George was just… too brown to trust, really.”

Retes, who served in Iraq in 2019 and now works as a security guard, was pepper-sprayed, dragged from his car, and detained for three days without charges. ICE agents did not allow him to contact his family or an attorney, but did reportedly give him the chance to sign a vague form before releasing him in tear-gas-soaked clothes.

Asked if the department planned to issue a formal apology, McLaughlin responded, “We said it was regrettable. That’s our version of an apology.”

When pressed about the deadly fall of another worker during the same raid, McLaughlin clarified, “That one’s on gravity. Not us.”

At press time, DHS said it would “review procedures,” which sources confirmed means “wait for this to stop trending.”