SANTA ANA, CA – A Southern California community is in uproar after a video surfaced showing the violent detention of Narciso Barranco, a 48-year-old immigrant and father of three U.S. Marines, by federal agents on Saturday. His son, a Marine veteran, has spoken out, expressing a profound sense of betrayal and alleging his father was brutally beaten and injured during the arrest.
The incident, which took place outside an IHOP restaurant in Santa Ana, was captured on video by bystanders and has since circulated widely on social media. The footage shows several agents, identified as belonging to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), struggling with Barranco, a landscaper, before pinning him to the ground. In the video, at least one agent can be seen repeatedly punching Barranco in the head while he is restrained.
“I feel betrayed,” said Alejandro Barranco, the eldest son and a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan. “My dad has no criminal history. He wasn’t doing anything wrong; he was just working. The way they attacked him, I don’t think it’s right.” Two of Alejandro’s younger brothers are currently active-duty Marines.
According to Alejandro, his father suffered a dislocated shoulder and facial injuries after being pepper-sprayed and punched. He said his father was working when the plainclothes, masked agents approached him. Startled, his father ran towards his work truck, at which point the agents gave chase and the violent altercation ensued.
The family maintains that Narciso Barranco, who has lived in Orange County since the 1990s and owns his own landscaping business, has no criminal record and was in the process of applying for legal residency.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed their agents were involved in the incident. In a statement, the agency claimed that Barranco “refused to answer questions, ran from the agents, and then began swinging a large string trimmer.” They stated that pepper spray was used and that Barranco “continuously forcefully resisted arrest.” The agency described his injuries as “minor scrapes” and said he is being processed for deportation.
The incident has drawn swift condemnation from community members and local officials. U.S. Representative Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) called the detention “madness” and highlighted the flawed nature of current immigration policies. “You have a family of three kids that took an oath for this country, ready to lay down their lives for this country, and their parents can’t stay here?” he questioned.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist with Barranco’s legal and medical expenses, quickly garnering significant support from the public.
Alejandro Barranco remains in a state of shock, struggling to reconcile his family’s service to the nation with the treatment his father received. “I love this country a lot, and I love my parents a lot,” he said. “I gave up four years of my life to serve this country and show that I’m a patriot. He believes his father was racially profiled. “They didn’t ask him anything,” his son said. “They just started chasing him, and he ran because he was scared. He didn’t know who was after him.”
Barranco is reportedly being held in a detention facility in Los Angeles. His family is now facing an uncertain future as they navigate the legal battle to prevent his deportation.
