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President Donald Trump might have sold his mass deportation agenda as a crusade to get gang members and other violent criminals out of the country, but data shows that nearly half of those arrested and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) either have no criminal record at all or have only been convicted of minor offenses, including traffic violations. Not only do ICE agents appear to lack discernment when it comes to arresting illegal (and in many instances, legal) immigrants, whether they’re criminals or not, but a recent video indicates that some of them are also pretty indifferent when it comes to how rough the arrest is.
Meet Narciso Barranco.
On Saturday, Barranco was detained by agents who came after him while he was working as a landscaper at an IHOP in Santa Ana, California, according to CNN. Video footage of the arrest, which has since gone viral on social media, shows Barranco, 48, being punched repeatedly while pinned to the ground and surrounded by masked agents.
Barranco’s son, Alejandro Barranco, told CNN that his father has lived in the US since the 90s, and, while he is an undocumented immigrant, he has no criminal record.
“He was always a good dad,” Alejandro said. “He always made sure we had food on the table. He always taught us to respect, to love our country, to always give back.”
Alejandro Barranco is, by the way, a U.S. Marine, as are his father’s other two sons.
Unsurprisingly, when the victim’s violent arrest drew public outrage, he wasn’t identified by Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin as a decades-long U.S. resident who fathered and raised three members of the U.S. Marine Corps. Instead, McLaughlin simply referred to Narciso Barranco as an “illegal alien” who “tried to evade law enforcement.”
“The illegal alien ran, then turned and swung a weed whacker directly at an agent’s face,” McLaughlin told CNN. “He then fled through a busy intersection and raised the weed whacker again at the agent. The illegal alien refused to comply every step of the way—resisting commands, fighting handcuffs, and refusing to identify himself.”
It’s almost as if McLaughlin avoided using Barranco’s name because she didn’t want the public to make the mistake of, you know, humanizing the “illegal alien.”
As far as Barranco allegedly swinging a weed whacker at ICE agents (who were wearing masks for whatever reason), that’s hardly a proven claim.
From CNN:
The agency also shared a video online of Barranco holding a weed whacker, claiming he “assaulted federal law enforcement.” The video shows an officer spraying an unknown substance at Barranco, who is seen holding lawn equipment but doesn’t appear to strike officers in the footage.
Barranco is currently in ICE custody, according to McLaughlin.
His son told CNN his father likely became frightened and ran when approached by masked federal agents “with guns out.”
“He just got scared,” Alejandro Barranco said.
Of course, the fine folks on X aren’t buying McLaughlin’s version of events either, and they are sounding off on ICE and the Trump administration for allowing rogue agents to treat human beings any kind of way just because they don’t have their paperwork in order. (Also, a GoFundMe page was launched on Barranco’s behalf to help his family secure “proper legal counsel to represent him.”)
Check out some of the reactions below.
Social Media Torches ICE Over Violent Arrest Of Narciso Barranco, Father Of 3 Marines
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