Ever since Donald Trump returned as President for the second time, he has been especially focused on the immigration situation in America. Under the Trump administration, ICE has been wreaking havoc in various American cities and despite the government’s claim that authorities are only targeting illegal immigrants, the reality tells a different story.
Not only has ICE targeted people based on their race and skin color regardless of their immigration status but the agents have also not spared veterans who served the country. Among the many veterans who have faced humiliating and traumatizing treatment from ICE, George Retes recently talked about his experience.
Back in July, Retes’ workplace was raided by ICE and the veteran, who had risked his life for his country, was subjected to pepper spray and eventually detained. Retes was also denied the right to contact any of his family members during the three days he was under arrest.
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While he tried to get the badge number of the ICE agent before being thrown into a cell, he was not given much information. Moreover, he missed his daughter’s birthday because of the detention and he was released eventually without any charges. The whole incident proved that Retes was picked up and locked arbitrarily without any solid evidence of any wrongdoing.
Talking to Jon Favreau on the Pod Save America, Retes said that he had joined the force when he was only eighteen years old. What motivated him was his desire “to do something bigger” and he was later deployed to Iraq for ten months. Retes served his country diligently and was discharged honorably from the military.
There was no record of anything that could have triggered the ICE response that Retes faced and video evidence also showed that Retes was telling the truth about how he was unnecessarily harassed by the agents.
As reported by The Fulcrum, “Another veteran who was detained in Newark, N.J., had his military documentation questioned by ICE agents. His proof of having served in the United States Armed Forces wasn’t enough.”
The U.S. is still deporting its own veterans.
Men and women who bled for this country being told to self-deport or locked in ICE cages.
This isn’t just a policy failure.
It’s betrayal.
If you serve this country, it should never throw you away. pic.twitter.com/KAgtZJXGkc
— Chicano Marine 🇲🇽🇺🇸💙 (@elchicanomarine) July 5, 2025
The lived experience of these honorable military people show that ICE is not solely focusing on illegal immigrants as had been promised by Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. Recently, Noem said, “No American citizens have been arrested or detained. We focus on those that are here illegally. And anything that you would hear or report that would be different than that is simply not true.”
However, Retes had a completely different experience and he talked about the same Favreau, saying, “People see what’s going on in the world.” It is important to note here that Retes claim can be backed up by facts as The Fulcrum mentioned, “ProPublica investigation documented 170 cases of U.S. citizens who have been arrested by immigration agents across the country since Trump started his second term.”
Military veterans are people who chose their country over everything. They put their families behind to serve their country. However, instead of treating them with utmost respect, the Trump administration has been subjecting them to humiliation and ICE raids.
