Nothing But Hemp Stands With Workers. Not With These Jackboot Clowns.
Let’s just say it: ICE is a disgrace.
On July 10, 2025, a swarm of federal agents launched a full-blown military operation on two cannabis farms in Ventura County, California. Why? Because someone told them a few undocumented folks might be trimming plants. So, naturally, they rolled up in riot gear, tossed tear gas, brought in helicopters, and stormed the place like they were taking down Pablo Escobar.
The result?
- One man dead after falling 30 feet trying to escape.
- A U.S. veteran and citizen kidnapped by ICE and disappeared into their Kafkaesque black hole.
- Children detained.
- Zero farm owners charged.
- No cartel. No weapons. Just plants and people.
And this is what ICE calls a “successful operation.”
We call it what it is: government-funded cosplay for cowards who get off on bullying the vulnerable.
ICE: Immigration Clowns Extraordinaire
You ever notice ICE only gets brave when it’s low-paid farm workers or asylum-seeking moms? They never bust into a boardroom or show up at a yacht club to arrest the guys writing the checks. Nah. That would require actual courage and maybe… evidence.
Instead, they bring assault rifles to greenhouses, cry about “officer safety,” and then arrest whoever looks brown enough to justify the gas they just used on peaceful workers.
And the cherry on top?
They detained a disabled Army veteran and U.S. citizen named George Retes, dragged him out of his car, pepper-sprayed him, and hauled him off—while ignoring the part where his vehicle was literally marked “Disabled Veteran.”
This is who ICE is.
This is who they’ve always been.
A bunch of untrained, overfunded mall cops with a badge and a god complex.
The Cannabis Industry Got Punched in the Face—and Some Brands Are Still Quiet?
Here’s the reality: ICE stormed a legal cannabis farm—Glass House Farms—using military tactics. Tear gas. Helicopters. Smoke canisters. Riot shields. Border Patrol. They even brought the National Guard for good measure.
For a minute there, it looked less like an immigration raid and more like Call of Duty: Agribusiness Ops.
And while workers were running for their lives, many cannabis brands stayed silent—probably hiding behind their brand guides and PR departments.
But not us.
Nothing But Hemp was built on the belief that cannabis means more than profit. It’s about people, justice, and dismantling broken systems. So here’s our official statement:
“We don’t stand with ICE. We don’t stand with tear gas and helicopters over hemp fields. We don’t stand with armed government agents treating workers like enemies. We stand with the people. Period.”
A Veteran Was Taken. Let That Sink In.
Let’s pause on this.
George Retes, a 25-year-old disabled Army veteran and American citizen, was working security. When things started getting crazy, he got in his car to leave. ICE blocked him, smashed his window, pepper-sprayed him, dragged him out, and disappeared him into custody.
His family couldn’t find him.
ICE wouldn’t confirm where he was.
And no one apologized.
How do you accidentally detain a U.S. veteran who has documentation, tags on his car, and isn’t even part of the workforce you’re targeting?
You do it by being ICE—America’s premier government agency for overreaction, misidentification, and civil rights violations.
If ICE were a private company, it would’ve been sued into oblivion and shut down by now. But since it’s government-run, it just gets more funding every year to perfect its art of failing upward.
“Child Labor” Was the Excuse. State-Sanctioned Trauma Was the Outcome.
ICE claimed this whole thing was about child labor. That’s rich. Because as far as we can tell, they didn’t arrest a single owner, manager, or executive at Glass House Farms.
Instead, they:
- Tear-gassed farm workers
- Detained the same kids they claimed to be “rescuing”
- Used a man’s death and a veteran’s illegal detention as footnotes in a press release
This wasn’t an operation to stop child labor. This was an operation to score political points and terrify the working class—with a bonus PR stunt about “protecting the children.”
ICE doesn’t protect kids. Ask any family they’ve ripped apart at the border.
Weed Was Legal. The Violence Was Not.
Let’s not lose sight of the absurdity here.
This wasn’t a cartel bust.
This wasn’t a heroin lab in a jungle.
This was a licensed, legal cannabis operation.
And yet ICE deployed force like they were rolling into Fallujah. Why?
Because this was never about law enforcement.
It was about dominance. Optics. Fear.
And making sure that brown hands get cuffed while white collars stay clean.
ICE Wants You to Be Scared—We’re Telling You to Get Loud
Nothing But Hemp is urging our peers across the cannabis space:
- Don’t let this slide.
- Don’t sanitize your brand voice just to stay “safe.”
- Don’t pretend this doesn’t involve you.
Because if ICE can do this to a legal cannabis farm in California, they can do it anywhere.
And next time, it won’t be one man dead.
It won’t be one veteran.
It could be your team. Your family. Your customers.
Our Demands
We’re not just ranting. We want action. Here’s what we demand:
🔹 1. Release and Apologize to George Retes
He’s a citizen. A veteran. A man who did nothing wrong. He deserves freedom, medical care, and a very public apology.
🔹 2. Independent Investigation Into This Circus
We want names. Who authorized this? Who greenlit the tactics? Who’s being held responsible for a civilian death?
🔹 3. Arrest the Real Criminals—The Owners Who Hired Minors
ICE claims child labor was involved. Great. So where are the employers? Why weren’t they frog-marched out in cuffs?
🔹 4. Cut the Funding. Strip the Toys.
No more federal funding for ICE raids using paramilitary equipment on unarmed farm workers. You want to enforce labor law? Use labor inspectors. Not wannabe commandos.
A Final Word for ICE: Sit Down, You’ve Embarrassed Yourselves Enough
Here’s the truth no one in Washington wants to admit:
ICE isn’t a necessary agency.
It’s a bloated bureaucracy that exists to perform power—not enforce justice.
And this week, they showed their true colors:
- They murdered a worker fleeing for his life.
- They detained a disabled veteran who served the very country ICE claims to protect.
- They terrorized children, families, and communities… over weed.
If ICE wants to talk about “border security” or “child safety,” we’ve got a better idea: Start with literacy training and a basic course in ethics.
Until then, keep your jackboots out of the cannabis space.
Let’s Be Clear: We Do Not Support Child Labor — But This Wasn’t the Way
ICE claims this entire operation was about stopping child labor.
If that’s true, good. Child labor is disgusting, exploitative, and should be rooted out of every industry—including cannabis. There is no excuse for hiring minors to do dangerous agricultural work, period.
But what happened in Ventura County? That wasn’t justice. That was a violent spectacle meant to terrorize workers, distract from systemic failures, and score headlines.
If this was really about protecting children, ICE would have:
- Arrested the owners and executives responsible for hiring minors
- Sent in labor inspectors, not flashbangs
- Offered support and services for affected children—not detainment and trauma
- Kept veterans and citizens out of cuffs, instead of detaining people like George Retes
Instead, they did what they always do: overreact, underperform, and leave communities worse off than when they arrived.
This wasn’t about kids. It was about control.
Where We Go From Here
We’re urging cannabis businesses, veterans’ groups, farmworker alliances, and civil rights organizations:
- Make noise.
- Push legislation.
- Cut ties with brands who stay silent.
- Fund legal aid for detained workers.
- Show up to protests.
- Organize.
Because this industry was built on resistance—from prohibition to legalization. And now, that fight continues. But this time, the enemy isn’t just bad policy.
It’s ICE, and everything they represent.
And we’re not afraid to say it:
Nothing But Hemp stands with the people. Not with cowards in uniform pretending to be heroes.
