A United States Marine Corps veteran has said he feels "betrayed" after masked federal officials assaulted and arrested his father, as the man got caught up in one of the ongoing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) workplace raids which advocates say have left immigrant communities "terrified and on edge."
Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco, 25, told CNN his father, Narciso Barranco, was detained by federal agents on Saturday while working as a landscaper at an International House of Pancakes outlet in Santa Ana, California. According to Alejandro, his father was born in Mexico and has lived in the US since the 90s, and that the latter, though undocumented, has no criminal record.
"He was always a good dad. He always made sure we had food on the table. He always taught us to respect, to love our country, to always give back," the son said.
Video
A video of the incident shows several masked men in tactical gear pinning the senior Barranco to the ground and repeatedly striking him in the head and neck. Several of the men can be seen wearing gear with “US Border Patrol Police” written on the back.
They then forced Barranco into an unmarked vehicle, holding his arms behind his back, the video showed.
On the statement by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin that an "illegal alien swung a weed whacker directly at an agent’s face," Alejandro, who served four years as a Marine, stated that his father "just got scared when confronted by masked men with big guns."
The "illegal alien", McLaughlin noted, is currently in ICE custody.
DHS is the parent federal government agency of the ICE.
Alejandro Barranco's two younger brothers are also Marines, both currently on active duty.
Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco, 25, told CNN his father, Narciso Barranco, was detained by federal agents on Saturday while working as a landscaper at an International House of Pancakes outlet in Santa Ana, California. According to Alejandro, his father was born in Mexico and has lived in the US since the 90s, and that the latter, though undocumented, has no criminal record.
"He was always a good dad. He always made sure we had food on the table. He always taught us to respect, to love our country, to always give back," the son said.
Video
A video of the incident shows several masked men in tactical gear pinning the senior Barranco to the ground and repeatedly striking him in the head and neck. Several of the men can be seen wearing gear with “US Border Patrol Police” written on the back.
He ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER. Perhaps the mainstream media would like our officers to stand there and be mowed down instead of defending themselves?
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 23, 2025
What a completely slanted portrayal of what actually happened. https://t.co/Zf10PgjEdY pic.twitter.com/dRYnLuPK8o
They then forced Barranco into an unmarked vehicle, holding his arms behind his back, the video showed.
On the statement by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin that an "illegal alien swung a weed whacker directly at an agent’s face," Alejandro, who served four years as a Marine, stated that his father "just got scared when confronted by masked men with big guns."
The "illegal alien", McLaughlin noted, is currently in ICE custody.
DHS is the parent federal government agency of the ICE.
Alejandro Barranco's two younger brothers are also Marines, both currently on active duty.
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