Marine Veteran Says Border Patrol Agents Beat His Dad, While Agency Says He Swung Trimmer at Them
A US Marine Corps veteran expressed shock after seeing a social media video of his father, a Southern California landscaper, being beaten by masked US Border Patrol officers during an immigration arrest on Saturday.
The arrest of Narciso Barranco, who came to the US from Mexico in the 1990s but lacks legal status, is the latest to draw widespread attention as the immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration faces scrutiny and protests. Witnesses uploaded videos of the arrest in Santa Ana, a city in Orange County between San Diego and Los Angeles. No footage captured the entire incident as agents struggled with Barranco outside an IHOP restaurant.
Narciso Barranco was taken to a federal immigration detention center in downtown Los Angeles, where he remains in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco said his father called him Sunday, complaining of severe pain. 'He just started crying,' Barranco said of his 48-year-old father.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Barranco refused to comply with commands and swung his weed trimmer at an agent. 'The agents took appropriate action and followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers,' their email statement added.
Alejandro Barranco maintained his father has no criminal record and is kind and hardworking. He believes the agents' use of force was unnecessary and vastly different from his military training for crowds and riot control, which he used during the US military's 2021 evacuation of personnel and Afghan allies from Afghanistan. 'It's uncalled for, not appropriate or professional in the way they handled that situation,' Barranco said. 'It looks like he's putting up resistance on the ground, but that's a natural human reaction, and I think anybody would do that to defend themselves when they are being beaten on the ground by four men.'
The federal government reported an increase in people interfering with arrests, putting its agents at risk. Trump deployed the California National Guard and Marines to guard federal buildings and protect federal law enforcement officers in Southern California.
DHS shared a video showing Barranco running with the trimmer in the air as agents tried to apprehend him. An agent pepper-sprayed Barranco, who then positioned the trimmer between himself and the agent without touching him. Another officer drew his gun as Barranco crossed a busy intersection.
Other footage shows Barranco running through the intersection, still holding his trimmer upright, as a truck blocked his path. He darted to another lane and tried to open a car door before agents tackled him. As he screamed, cars honked, and a motorist shouted, 'Leave him alone, bro.'
An agent told the prone Barranco to give him his hand. Another angle shows an officer repeatedly hitting Barranco on the head and neck as he screamed and moaned. Another motorist yelled in Spanish, 'Why are you hitting him?'
The department's email to The Associated Press stated Barranco 'swung a weed whacker directly at an agent's face.' He then 'fled through a busy intersection and raised the weed whacker again at the agent.' It added that Barranco was offered medical care but declined.
All three of Barranco's US-born sons joined the US military. Alejandro left the Marine Corps in 2023; his two brothers remain on active duty. 'We joined the Marine Corps because we love our country and want to give back,' he said. 'Our parents taught us to be appreciative, be thankful of our country, about being patriots.'
His father worried about being arrested by immigration officials, and the family explored options. However, Alejandro said his dad prioritized his landscaping business and never addressed the issue. After the arrest, his father's first concern was his client, urging his son to ensure no mess was left behind when he fled from agents.
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