Latest news with #AlejandroBarranco
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Marine veteran decries father's detention in immigration raid in U.S.
For Alejandro Barranco, a U.S. Marine veteran, it's difficult to process the way his father, a Mexican gardener, was detained in a raid in California as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the nation. "They handled this situation in a very unprofessional manner. These are not the standards of the United States government," Alejandro said in an interview. Narciso Barranco, father of three marines, was intercepted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday while trimming a garden at a restaurant in Santa Ana, a city south of Los Angeles. The incident was captured by witnesses in videos that spread like wildfire on social media. From different angles, Barranco, 48, is seen running with a weed whacker in hand before several agents beat, subdue and pepper-spray him. "It's very hard to watch," said Alejandro, 25. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that Barranco tried to flee and "brandished a weed whacker directly at an officer's face," so officers took appropriate action. McLaughlin added that they used "the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a way that prioritized the safety of the public and our officers." But Alejandro disputes the claims. "The video shows (Narciso) moving the weed whacker. I think it's natural instinct because he was sprayed with something seconds before ... but he never brandished it directly at an officer," he said. "There's a guy holding his gun sideways, finger on the trigger pointing at a vehicle. I don't see how that makes sense. The minimum amount of force doesn't include restraining a man and repeatedly hitting him in the neck and face areas. I think that's the maximum amount of force, short of lethal force." 'Swallowing orders' The case has sparked criticism in California, in part because Barranco's three sons are in or have been in the United States Marine Corps. U.S. Marines stand guard outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building amid federal immigration sweeps in Los Angeles on June 18. | REUTERS Alejandro has left the military, while two brothers are stationed at Camp Pendleton, also in Southern California. The arrest also occurred amid a tense climate in the Democratic state, with protests against the raids and where Trump sent thousands of national guard troops and 700 marines to support immigration operations, among other things. Alejandro says he knows these troops and understands that they are "swallowing orders" and doing their job. "I do feel that some of them are suffering. Some are confused because perhaps some of their relatives are undocumented and they see all this, and I think it's hard for them." Trump returned to the White House riding an anti-immigration wave and promising to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, whom he called "criminals" and "the worst of the worst." However, under pressure from immigration authorities to increase daily arrests, street operations have shaken workplaces such as car washes, hardware stores and street vendors. Activists, nongovernmental organizations and families denounce the detention of people without criminal records, identified for staying or entering the United States illegally. The case of Narciso Barranco, who emigrated from Mexico in the 1990s, follows that of the wife of another former marine in Louisiana, who was detained in May after leaving an immigration appointment to process her legal status. 'There has to be a change' Alejandro saw his father for the first time on Tuesday at a detention center in downtown Los Angeles. He said that his father is being held in a cell with at least 70 other people, with only one toilet, very little food, and "minimal water, like once a day." Narciso, with wounds and bruises, received medical attention Tuesday night, Alejandro said, adding that his father hasn't been able to wash and still has blood on his shirt, the same one he was wearing when he was arrested. "There needs to be a change," Alejandro said in a calm but sad tone, referring to Trump 's immigration policy. "They're taking away workers who came here to make this country even greater. "They came to give their children a good education and teach them to serve, to give back, and to be grateful for this country, as my brothers and I are."
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US marine veteran says he feels ‘betrayed' after father arrested by Ice agents
A US marine veteran has described feeling 'betrayed' after Trump administration immigration agents beat and arrested his father at his landscaping job, the latest example of immigrant agents targeting the family members of American military personnel with no criminal records. In an interview Monday with CNN, Alejandro Barranco recounted how his father, Narciso Barranco, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents two days earlier while doing landscaping at an International House of Pancakes (IHop) restaurant in Santa Ana, California. Narciso Barranco moved to the US from Mexico without documentation in the 1990s and has no criminal record, Alejandro Barranco told CNN. 'He was always a good dad,' he 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.' The Barrancos' plight is the latest example to contradict Donald Trump's claims that his immigration crackdown has prioritized targeting dangerous criminals. Another US marine veteran, Adrian Clouatre, went public recently about how Ice agents detained his wife, Paola, despite the fact that the couple have a 2-year old son and a 3-month-old daughter who is still breastfeeding. The 25-year-old Paola Clouatre was brought to the US by her mother while seeking asylum more than a decade ago, and had applied for legal permanent residence, her husband told the Associated Press. The US marines have promoted enlistment as protection for family members lacking legal status. But Adrian Clouatre said Paola was detained at a late May appointment pertaining to her green card application process, with officials claiming that she was subject to a deportation order because of her mother's failure to appear at an immigration hearing in 2018. Being in the US without legal status is a civil violation, not a criminal offense. Nonetheless, recent data shows people with no criminal history have been increasingly targeted by immigration agents, despite the Trump administration's claims that it is mainly focused on criminals with adjudicated final orders of removal. In Narciso Barranco's case, video obtained by CNN of his arrest showed several masked men in tactical gear subduing him against the ground as well as repeatedly striking his head and neck. The men – clad in vests reading 'US border patrol police' – held Barranco's arms behind his back and forced him into an unmarked vehicle. His son said Barranco later called him from a detention facility and asked him to collect his landscaping tools and finish the job he was on when arrested. He told the AP that his father was crying during the call, saying he was in a lot of pain. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, gave a statement to CNN that accused Barranco of twice trying to swing 'a weed whacker directly at an agent's face'. The agency published a video online of Barranco holding a weed whacker, and McLaughlin also said Barranco 'fled through a busy intersection' and 'refused to comply' with agents' commands. Alejandro Barranco said he believed his father had simply run upon being frightened by 'masked men' who wielded 'big guns' and didn't 'identify themselves'. 'He just got scared,' he said to CNN, adding to AP: 'It's uncalled for, not appropriate or professional in the way they handled that situation.' Regarding the video, he said: 'It looks like he's putting up resistance on the ground but that's a natural human reaction, and I think anybody would do that to defend themselves when they are being beaten.' Barranco told CNN his father had been afraid of being arrested over his immigration status, but kept going to work because he felt the need 'to provide for himself' and his family. Alejandro Barranco's LinkedIn says he became a mechanical engineer for the US marines in October 2019. He told CNN that he served for four years and that his two brothers were active-duty marines. 'We joined the Marine Corps because we love our country and want to give back,' he told AP, adding to CNN: 'It's hard. We feel hurt. We feel betrayed.'
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Time of India
'I feel betrayed': US Marine veteran after father assaulted, arrested by masked agents; DHS secretary says 'illegal alien' currently in custody
Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco (AP) 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. 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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo 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.
24-06-2025
- Politics
U.S. Border Patrol is increasingly seen far from the border as Trump ramps up deportation arrests
McALLEN, Texas -- Immigration arrests seen on video are showing an emerging trend: More Border Patrol agents are doing their jobs far from the borders with Mexico or Canada. A Border Patrol agent was seen hitting a Southern California landscaper on the head and neck as he was pinned to the ground during an arrest Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security said the man swung his weed trimmer at agents. The man's son, Alejandro Barranco, a Marine veteran, said his father was scared but did not attack anyone. With border arrests at the lowest levels in about 60 years, the roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents are showing up elsewhere. Here are things to know about the trend: President Donald Trump's House-approved 'big, beautiful bill' proposes $8 billion to increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff by 10,000 people. Until then, the agency primarily responsible for interior enforcement is relying on other federal agencies as it struggles to meet a daily arrest target of at least 3,000 set by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and chief architect of immigration policy. ICE, with only about 6,000 deportation officers, has found a ready partner in the Border Patrol, which is also part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It comes at a time when border arrests plunged to an average of 282 a day in May after peaking at more than 8,000 a day in December 2023. Agents in the Border Patrol's Yuma, Arizona, sector assisted ICE officers last week in Philadelphia, Justin De La Torre, the sector chief, said in a social media post. His sector averaged only four arrests a day on the Arizona border last month after peaking at more than 1,100 a day in May 2023. Greg Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol's El Centro, California, sector, appeared alongside U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a news conference this month in Los Angeles during which U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcefully removed, pushed to the ground and handcuffed. 'We're here and not going away,' Bovino said, introducing himself to reporters as his agency's top representative during ICE-led operations in Los Angeles. Few see any reason to doubt the Border Patrol will remain. 'So long as the border remains relatively quiet, we will continue to see the Border Patrol deployed to act almost as if they are ICE agents,' said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, an advocacy group. Agents are granted by federal law the ability to stop and question people within 100 miles (161 kilometers) of the border, including the coasts. They have heightened authority to board and search buses, trains and vessels without a warrant within the zone. That encompasses vast swaths of the country that include about two-thirds of the U.S. population, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Los Angeles is well within 100 miles of the Pacific Ocean. Beyond that zone, agents are still authorized to work within the United States. "The Border Patrol can still operate fully in the interior. It's just that they have less authority to stop and question people,' said Reichlin-Melnick. Past the 100-mile enforcement zone, Border Patrol agents, like officers working for ICE or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations, are classified as immigration officers who are authorized to carry out arrests and detain people on suspicion of violating immigration law. There are some limits. 'They could only search somebody's car on probable cause that the person has violated the law," Reichlin-Melnick said. 'And so people have somewhat heightened rights against search and seizure outside of the 100-mile zone than they do inside of the 100-mile zone. But each individual case will vary depending on the specific circumstances."
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
US border patrol is increasingly seen far from the border as Trump ramps up deportation arrests
AP image McALLEN: Immigration arrests seen on video are showing an emerging trend: More border patrol agents are doing their jobs far from the borders with Mexico or Canada. A border patrol agent was seen hitting a Southern California landscaper on the head and neck as he was pinned to the ground during an arrest Saturday. The department of homeland security said the man swung his weed trimmer at agents. The man's son, Alejandro Barranco, a Marine veteran, said his father was scared but did not attack anyone. With border arrests at the lowest levels in about 60 years, the roughly 20,000 border patrol agents are showing up elsewhere. Here are things to know about the trend: Why is the border patrol working away from the border? President Donald Trump's House-approved "big, beautiful bill" proposes $8 billion to increase US immigration and customs enforcement staff by 10,000 people. Until then, the agency primarily responsible for interior enforcement is relying on other federal agencies as it struggles to meet a daily arrest target of at least 3,000 set by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and chief architect of immigration policy. ICE, with only about 6,000 deportation officers, has found a ready partner in the Border Patrol, which is also part of the US department of homeland security. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 임플란트 최대 할인 지원해드려요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo It comes at a time when border arrests plunged to an average of 282 a day in May after peaking at more than 8,000 a day in December 2023. Agents in the border patrol's Yuma, Arizona, sector assisted ICE officers last week in Philadelphia, Justin De La Torre, the sector chief, said in a social media post. His sector averaged only four arrests a day on the Arizona border last month after peaking at more than 1,100 a day in May 2023. Greg Bovino, chief of the border patrol's El Centro, California, sector, appeared alongside US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a news conference this month in Los Angeles during which US Sen Alex Padilla was forcefully removed, pushed to the ground and handcuffed. "We're here and not going away," Bovino said, introducing himself to reporters as his agency's top representative during ICE-led operations in Los Angeles. Few see any reason to doubt the border patrol will remain. "So long as the border remains relatively quiet, we will continue to see the Border Patrol deployed to act almost as if they are ICE agents," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American immigration council, an advocacy group. What is the 100-mile border zone? Agents are granted by federal law the ability to stop and question people within 100 miles (161 kilometers) of the border, including the coasts. They have heightened authority to board and search buses, trains and vessels without a warrant within the zone. That encompasses vast swaths of the country that include about two-thirds of the US population, according to the American civil liberties union. Los Angeles is well within 100 miles of the Pacific Ocean. Beyond that zone, agents are still authorised to work within the United States. "The border patrol can still operate fully in the interior. It's just that they have less authority to stop and question people," said Reichlin-Melnick. What can the border patrol do beyond the 100 miles? Past the 100-mile enforcement zone, border patrol agents, like officers working for ICE or the US customs and border protection office of field operations, are classified as immigration officers who are authorised to carry out arrests and detain people on suspicion of violating immigration law. There are some limits. "They could only search somebody's car on probable cause that the person has violated the law," Reichlin-Melnick said. "And so people have somewhat heightened rights against search and seizure outside of the 100-mile zone than they do inside of the 100-mile zone. But each individual case will vary depending on the specific circumstances."
