Father of three Marines beaten by masked federal agents, set to be released from immigration facility

Los Angeles Times

12-07-2025

The father of three U.S. Marines who was violently tackled and beaten by masked federal agents in Orange County is scheduled to be released on bond after spending 20 days in federal custody.
Narciso Barranco, an undocumented immigrant who has lived in the United States for decades, is married to a U.S. citizen and is father to two active-duty American Marines and one veteran, was ordered by an immigration judge Thursday to be released on a $3,000 bond, according to his family. He is expected to be released from a federal immigration facility in Adelanto in the next few days.
Barranco applied for parole-in-place, which allows certain undocumented immigrants to remain in the country pending a change in their immigration status.
Alejandro Barranco said he has seen his father only a few times since he was violently tackled and beaten by masked federal agents in Orange County.
Video of him went viral last month when masked federal agents repeatedly beat him. His family said the masked agents also pepper sprayed Barranco.
The first thing Alejandro Barranco wants to do for his 48-year-old father is take him to a hospital because his family is unsure if he's receiving proper care for his injuries.
'He said he's still in pain,' Alejandro Barranco, 25, told The Times. 'He says his eyes still hurt, his shoulder, he said his back started hurting. He has headaches. We believe that he had a concussion from the beating and we just want to make sure it's nothing worse.'
In the video of his beating, Narciso Barranco watches the masked men approach him on June 21 as he holds a Weedwacker outside a Santa Ana IHOP. His son said that Barranco started to run away because he was afraid.
The federal government confirmed they arrested an 'illegal alien' who resisted arrest and swung a Weedwacker at agents. The video shows Barranco walking away from the masked men and holding up the gardening tool as they spray him with pepper spray.
'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. He is now in ICE custody,' Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
His family were not able to speak with him following the roughly 30-minute hearing on Thursday, Alejandro Barranco said. But he could tell that his father was relieved.
'We were all escorted out as soon as it finished. But he did look happier. His body language was more relaxed,' Alejandro Barranco said about his father.
Orange Councilmember Arianna Barrios attended Thursday's hearing to show her support for the Tustin resident.
'Today was a good day in this new battle for civil rights, due process and humanitarian principles,' Barrios said in a Facebook post. 'Mr Barranco will be released on bond sometime tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, God willing! He can remain free until mid-August, where he will have another hearing to try and adjust his status to parole-in-place...'
Narciso Barranco's sons, Emanuel and José Luis Barranco are active duty Marines, while Alejandro Barranco is a veteran. Their father arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s from Morelos, Mexico and married their mother, a U.S. citizen.
The landscaper is dedicated to his job, according to his son. On his first call to his family after he was detained, the senior Barranco asked his sons to check on his truck and gardening equipment. He was worried that he never got to finish his work for his client, according to his family.
'I would have never thought that my dad would be in this position just because he has no criminal history. He's never done anything bad here,' Alejandro Barranco said. 'It's just not something that I would have ever thought could happen.'