Updated June 27, 2025 at 1:02 PM CDT
Alejandro Barranco threw his phone to the ground after watching how a masked federal immigration agent repeatedly punched his father in the head and neck during a workplace raid.
The scene in Santa Ana, Calif. was captured in a now-viral video that shows Alejandro's father, Narciso Barranco, pinned to the floor by three federal agents on June 21. In the video, Barranco does not appear to be resisting arrest when the agent strikes him.
"Hey! Why are you hitting him?" a bystander can be heard yelling at the agents.
Alejandro, a 25-year-old U.S. Marine veteran whose two younger brothers are active duty Marines, said in an interview with Morning Edition that the agents' actions were "unprofessional and uncalled for."
"I don't think it represents our law enforcement officers, anything like that. I was really, really mad when I saw that. I couldn't believe it," Alejandro added. "The way they treated him, like, so inhumane."
Alejandro said his father, who worked as a landscaper, has lived in the U.S. since the '90s without legal status, but added that he has no criminal record. He and his brothers were exploring how to begin adjusting their father's immigration status through a program called parole in place, which is available to immediate relatives of military members. He noted that financial constraints and work schedules had hampered their efforts to do so.
In an emailed statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Narciso ran from agents, "swung a weed whacker" at an agent's face and refused to comply with officers' commands. "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," the statement continued.
Speaking with NPR's A Martínez, Alejandro discussed how he felt when he first saw the video, defended his father against DHS' claims and unpacked how he feels knowing the country that he and his brothers served could deport their father.
Interview highlights
A Martínez: Now, the Department of Homeland Security has said on social media that your father, "assaulted federal law enforcement with a weed whacker." And then Customs and Border Protection posted on X a video of what looks like a person swinging a weed whacker at agents. What do you make of that characterization? Does that sound like something your father would do?
Alejandro Barranco: No, no, of course not. And the movement you see from the weed whacker, I think, is a natural instinct, because he gets sprayed seconds before that, I think it was just his own body, his own instincts, just reacting to that spray.
Martínez: He was sprayed with what?
Barranco: I'm not sure what it was. Mace. Pepper spray. I don't know.
Martínez: How's he doing? Has he been able to process everything that's happened?
Barranco: I don't think so. I mean, when he called this morning, he was scared and said that they were moving him. He didn't know why. I mean, all of this is new to him, obviously it's just… I can only imagine how he feels right now.
Martínez: How long has your father been in the United States?
Barranco: Since the '90s. I want to say at least 30 years.
Martínez: Well, what would you say to someone that says, hey, if you've been in this country for decades, you should have found the time to make sure that something like this eventually wouldn't happen?
Barranco: Yeah, no, I understand that people might think that way, but they also need to understand that everybody's situation is different. My dad worked Monday to Sunday. He was always trying to provide for us, make sure we are well fed, well dressed, provide a roof over our heads. It's clear that his priorities were us so that we can also give back to this country in this way, the way we serve.
Martínez: Did you have any conversations with him or maybe other members of your family about what was happening in the LA area with ICE and the possibility, maybe, that your father might be arrested?
Barranco: We knew these things were happening, these raids were going on. We prepared him. We told him, 'Keep calm. Let them identify themselves. Don't say anything. Don't sign anything. Don't fight back.' He knew these things were happening and he accepted the fact that it could happen. But what we weren't prepared for and didn't prep him about was these guys attacking him. We never expected anything like that. We expected these guys to act professionally and up to standards on the United States government.
Martínez: Considering your brothers are active duty Marines, if they are deployed somehow, somewhere in the world to fight for the United States of America, have you figured out how you might square those feelings of putting your life on the line for a country that has done this to a family member?
Barranco: They know their orders and they know they're supposed to follow orders. And when you're in a situation like that, I do believe you're fighting for those people next to you, not necessarily the country.
Martínez: What do you think about the Trump administration's approach to people without legal status in the U.S. generally?
Barranco: I'm not sure they have the right picture because — I'm not too involved in politics — but I believe the administration said that they were going after criminals. And from what we've seen, I think it's the complete opposite. I think the majority of people that are getting are hardworking people who have been here for decades, providing for their family and providing for this country.
Martínez: Any idea about what comes next for your father?
Barranco: First and foremost, we want to get him out of there. After that, we'll work on his legal status. But for now, we do want him home.
The radio version of this story was edited by Lisa Thomson and produced by Claire Murashima. It was edited for digital by Treye Green.
Copyright 2025 NPR
