Overview
- Home of the Brave launched a $250,000 video campaign on streaming platforms targeting viewers exposed to DHS recruitment and self-deportation ads.
- George Retes, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran, says agents shattered his car window, used pepper spray and tear gas, zip-tied him, and held him over a weekend.
- DHS confirmed Retes was arrested and later released, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing Camarillo cases, and publicly alleged he became violent and resisted.
- Retes denies wrongdoing, describes being placed on suicide watch and missing his daughter’s birthday, and is working with the Institute for Justice on a Federal Tort Claims Act suit.
- The ad push comes as reporting counts roughly 170–200 U.S. citizens detained by ICE this year and as DHS devotes about $51 million to recruitment advertising.