They Took George Retes—And Didn’t Even Ask Who He Was

C L Muniz

Jul 14, 2025

Welcome to the Breezeway, where the flag still waves, even if they don’t see us beneath it.

I wasn’t going to write this today.
I wanted peace.
I wanted birds and sunlight and maybe a cafecito with extra foam.

But then I saw his name:

George Retes.
25 years old.
A U.S. Army veteran.
Disabled.
A citizen of this country.

And ICE took him.

From his car.
While he was working.
Not protesting.
Not hiding.
Working.

And they didn’t even stop to ask who he was.

They just broke his window, pepper-sprayed him, dragged him out like a bag of trash—
and disappeared him.

For days.
No charges.
No lawyer.
No “oops, our bad.”
Just silence.

This Man Served—But That Didn’t Matter

Let me tell you something: my people have served in your wars.
We’ve flown your flags.
We’ve sent our sons and daughters into battle, even while you debate whether we’re really American.

George Retes wore that uniform.
And for his service, what did he get?

A van ride into nowhere.
Fear in the eyes of his family.
And a system that didn’t even bother to check his damn license plate.

His car likely had specialized plates for handicapped veterans.
You know—the ones that take two seconds to read?

They didn’t even give him that.
Because they weren’t looking for facts.
They were looking for bodies.

🧠 And What If His Disability Was PTSD?

We still don’t know what George’s disability is. And we don’t need to.
That’s his business.

But let me ask you something:

What if it’s PTSD?
What if ICE smashing through his window and forcing him to the ground brought him back to a battlefield?
What if George had panicked and reached for something?
What if he had hurt himself—or someone else—because his brain was wired to survive war, not war at home?

What if he had died that day?

Would ICE have said,
“Oops”?

Would the headlines have said,
“Veteran acted erratically”?

Would they have found a way to make him the story, instead of themselves?

🧳 Who Gave ICE This Kind of Power?

Let’s break this down, because I’m tired of screaming into the void.

ICE detained a U.S. citizen
Who was working security
At a legal farm
With no warrant
No probable cause
No confirmation of identity

And for days—days—his family couldn’t find him.

So I ask you:

🛑 Can ICE detain citizens now?
🛑 Can they ignore your ID and your tags and your rights?
🛑 Can they decide who “looks” American enough and who doesn't?

Because if the answer is yes...
Then the lesson is clear:

Keep your head down.
Keep your windows rolled up.
And pray your face doesn’t look like a problem they need to solve.

Because if this can happen to George Retes,
we’re all at risk.

👷🏼‍♂️ My Son “Looks White”—But What If He Tries to Help a Brother in Need?

I’m going to get personal now.

My son’s got light skin.
And although his last name sounds as white as white can be, his first name is in Spanish.
He’s a construction worker—a union man.
You all know how union men are—brothers in arms.
They’re like a fraternity. They watch out for each other.

He is kind. Passionate. The kind of person who believes in justice above all else.
The kind of man who’d show up to support workers being mistreated.

So what if he had been near that farm?

Would they have pepper-sprayed him too?
Would his citizenship matter?
Or would they just say,
“He’s just a Puerto Rican—snatch him up”?

The fact that I’m Puerto Rican—a born U.S. citizen—has never stopped people from believing I was “illegal.”
How many times did I have to pause real life to give my colleagues in Texas a history lesson—just to prove I belonged?

What if that happens to my son, and he doesn’t have time to give a history lesson?
What if they don’t care?

What if they just take him?

Would he become another name?
Another file?
Another mistake no one apologizes for?

🤬 Boricua Rage Activated

Because this is how it happens, gente.

One man goes missing.
One woman disappears.
One family cries into a phone that no one answers.

And the rest of us?

We scroll past.
We say “how awful.”
And we go on living.

But not me.
Not today.

I’m not going to let this man’s story be swallowed in the algorithm of silence.

Because if ICE can take George Retes—
a veteran, a citizen, a disabled man—
Then they can take anyone.

And the question isn’t how they got away with it.

The question is:

Why are we letting them?

☕ From the Breezeway, With Fire

I may be sitting with my cafecito.
But don’t mistake stillness for surrender.

Because the next time ICE decides to play judge and jury in a parking lot—
I’ll still be here.
Watching.
Writing.