Rep. Takano Invites ICE-Detained U.S. Citizen & Combat Veteran George Retes to State of the Union

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) announced that he is inviting George Retes to be his guest at the State of the Union.

George Retes is a 26-year-old U.S. citizen and disabled U.S. Army veteran whose service included a deployment to Iraq before he transitioned into civilian life as a security guard in his native Ventura County, California.

In July 2025, during a large-scale federal immigration raid, George-while commuting to work-was stopped by ICE agents who broke his car window. He was subsequently pepper-sprayed, pinned down with officers kneeling on his back and neck, and detained for three days without charges, access to legal counsel, contact with his family, or medical care. All this was done by the federal government in full knowledge that George was a U.S. citizen and a veteran.

"George Retes is a U.S. citizen and an Iraq War veteran, and yet he was treated like an enemy by his own government," said Ranking Member Takano. "His story exemplifies the overreach and cruelty of the Trump Administration and their heavy-handed immigration policies, sweeping up innocent men, women, and children in a desperate bid to fill arbitrary quotas. I am honored to have George as my guest at the State of the Union. His presence will speak volumes."

"I served my country. I wore the uniform, I stood watch, and I believe in the values we say make us different. And yet here, on our own soil, I was wrongfully detained," George wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. "This isn't just my story. It's a warning. Because if it can happen to me, it can happen to any one of us."

Requests to interview George can be sent to [email protected].

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