Judge dismisses deportation case against father of 3 US Marines: Lawyer
An immigration judge has dismissed removal proceedings against Narciso Barranco, an undocumented father of 3 U.S. Marines, who was detained while at his landscaping job in California last summer, his attorney told ABC News.
Barranco's violent arrest in front of an IHOP was captured on camera. The Department of Homeland Security accused him of threatening agents with a weed trimmer as they were attempting to detain him -- claims his family pushed back on at the time.
On Thursday, Barranco's attorney, Lisa Ramirez who is also running for Congress in California, told ABC News her client has a pending application for Parole in Place, a program that allows some immediate relatives of veterans to apply for legal status. If his petition is approved, he may then be able to apply for a green card.
"Here's a man who raised three US citizen Marine sons, men who put their lives on the line for the protection of this country and our freedom and everything else that we stand for in principle," Ramirez said. "To have their father apprehended in one of the most brutal ways imaginable was a slap in the face."
ABC News has requested comment from DHS about the case.
Federal agents arrested Narciso Barranco in Santa Ana on June 21, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Video of him being forcibly detained showed masked agents holding him down on the street and repeatedly punching him after he ran from agents.
He was released on bond from federal custody about three weeks later.
The Department of Homeland Security said following the arrest that Narciso Barranco tried to evade law enforcement, "swung a weed whacker directly at an agent's face" and resisted 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," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time.
One of Barranco's sons, Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco, later told Congress members that his father was "traumatized" by the arrest.
"As he worked, he noticed masked men approaching him, and was quickly surrounded by men who did not identify themselves and never presented any type of warrant," he told Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security during an oversight forum examining the Trump administration's detention and deportation practices on Tuesday. "Terrified, he ran. They chased him through the parking lot and into a crowded street. They pointed guns at him, pepper-sprayed him. They tackled him to the ground and kicked him."
Alejandro Barranco, a Marine veteran, told members of Congress his father, had no criminal record, two other sons who are currently serving as Marines, and is "deeply devoted to this country." He said he believes the current immigration system is "broken."
