Judge dismisses California deportation case for Mexican father of 3 U.S. Marines
LOS ANGELES– An immigration judge dismissed deportation proceedings against a landscaper arrested in Southern California last year, and the father of three U.S. Marines is now on track to obtain legal permanent residency in the United States.
The June detention of Narciso Barranco, who came to the United States from Mexico in the 1990s but without legal status, drew widespread attention as President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown sparked scrutiny and protests.
Witnesses posted videos online of the arrest in Santa Ana, a city in Orange County. Federal agents struggled with Barranco and tackled him to the ground outside an IHOP restaurant where he was weeding.
Barranco was taken to a Los Angeles detention center and placed under deportation proceedings. In July, he was released on $3,000 bail and ordered to wear an ankle monitor.
In a Jan. 28 order ending the deportation case, Judge Kristin S. Piepmeier said Barranco, 49, provided proof that he was the father of three U.S.-born sons in the military, making him eligible to apply for legal status.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that it would appeal the judge’s ruling, first reported by The New York Times.
Barranco’s attorney, Lisa Ramirez, said her client feels “extreme relief” now that immigration agents have removed his ankle monitor and stopped his recordings.
“The aggressive nature of the arrest was traumatic,” Ramirez said Thursday. “Mr. Barranco has no criminal record. They prosecuted him because he was a brown gardener on the streets of Santa Ana.”
Ramirez said Barranco applied for in-place parole, a program that protects parents of U.S. military personnel from deportation and helps them obtain permanent residency. If this petition is approved, Barranco will receive a work permit. She estimates the process could take six months or more.
DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reiterated previous government claims that Barranco refused to comply with orders and swung his trimmer at an agent.
“The officers took appropriate action and followed their training to use the minimum force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritized the safety of the public and our officers,” McLaughlin said in Thursday’s release.
His son Alejandro Barranco told The Associated Press in June that his father had not attacked anyone, had no criminal record and was kind and hardworking. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran said the use of force was unnecessary and differed greatly from his military training. He helped the U.S. military evacuate Afghan personnel and allies from Afghanistan in 2021.
Alejandro left the Marine Corps in 2023. Both of his brothers are currently active duty Marines.
