A landscaper and father of three U.S. Marines faces deportation after a violent arrest by Border Patrol agents in Santa Ana, California. The man, identified as Narciso Barranco, was detained as part of larger operations carried out by Customs and Border Protection in the Santa Ana area on Sunday.
In videos that have since gone viral, Barranco can be seen pinned to the ground by masked agents, who aggressively detain the landscaper. One video shows Barranco in handcuffs as a masked agent punches him in the face repeatedly. Other videos show Barranco running from agents with a weed whacker in hand.
“They just started chasing him, and he ran because he was scared," Barranco's son, Alejandro Barranco, told The Santanero, a local news outlet, on Sunday. "He didn’t know who was after him.”
“He has always worked hard to put food on the table for us and my mom,” the Marine and veteran of service in Afghanistan continued. “He was always careful and always did his taxes on time. He never caused any problems and he is known as a kind and helping person by everyone in our community.”
In a statement to The Daily Beast, CBP confirmed that the arrest had been made by its agents. It claimed the videos were "one-sided," and the Barranco had been hostile toward agents.
Barranco was doing yard work when the agents approached and began to question him, the CBP statement notes, claiming the "subject refused to answer questions ... ran from the agents, and then began swinging a large string trimmer.” It claimed that the landscaper refused to comply and received minor injuries as a result. It goes on to state that Barranco is now facing deportation.
Barranco's family has since started a GoFundMe for his legal defense, which has raised nearly $70,000 as of Monday morning.
