Screenshot via GoFundMe.
A GoFundMe for a man seen in a viral video being arrested and assaulted by masked men wearing U.S. Border Patrol vests has now raised nearly $90,000.
A video posted on social media platforms (including Instagram and TikTok) by @santanaproblems included a caption saying that it was a local day laborer who was “detained by unidentified agents in the Home Depot parking lot located at Edinger and Grand.”
The clip, which begins in the middle of the incident, shows multiple men wearing masks covering their faces and vests that said, “POLICE U.S. BORDER PATROL,” holding down another man they have detained on the ground. [Update below: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed these were CPB agents.] One of the CBP agents is seen punching the man repeatedly on and around his head as the others stand guard around him and then handcuff him. Another agent can be seen carrying a weedwacker away from the scene.
The man cries out, and off-screen witnesses can be heard on the video yelling. As the man
The original video has been flagged as including “sensitive content” that “some people may find upsetting,” but it can be viewed directly on Instagram after clicking a disclaimer.
Later, the account posted another video clip showing a different angle of the incident, with clearer audio and beginning a bit earlier.
“Shut the fuck up!” says one of the CBP agents. A witness calls out, “Hey, leave him alone, bro!” as they wrangle the man on the ground, and he cries out in pain.
“We don’t even know who they are — they don’t have no fucking IDs,” says a witness about the agents arresting the man.
Warning: the below video includes violent content.
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According to KTLA, family members have identified the man arrested as 48-year-old Narciso Barranco, and said he is the father of three sons, all of whom are in the U.S. Marine Corps:
One of his sons, 25-year-old Alejandro Barranco, told KTLA that his father was pepper-sprayed in addition to repeatedly being punched in the face during
his detention. According to Alejandro, Narciso was picked up by alleged federal immigration officers while he was working as a landscaper at the IHOP on Edinger Avenue and Ritchey Street.
Photo via Barranco Family.
The KTLA report added that this “violent incident” had “sparked protests” in the area after the video was shared. President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated a crackdown on immigration that has resulted in protests in Los Angeles and many other cities across the country.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Alejandro Barranco said that his father’s shoulder was dislocated during the arrest. He was finally able to speak to his father Sunday evening and told the Times that his father had spent more than 24 hours in a Los Angeles detention facility but had still not received water, food, or medical treatment.
Alejandro Barranco is a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, and his two younger brothers, Emanuel Barranco and José Luis Barranco, are currently active duty Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton. The Times reported that Alejandro described his father as “a
About the video, he said it was upsetting to see his father treated that way. “I don’t think it was just, I don’t think it was fair,” he said. “I don’t think they need four 200 [pounds]-plus guys to hold down a 5-6 or 5-7, 150-pound guy.”
Initially, neither local nor federal law enforcement agencies confirmed to local media if any of their people were involved, and the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement also did not respond to the Times’ request for comment.
Customs and Border Protection confirmed in a statement to The Daily Beast that its agents were operating in Santa Ana this weekend and claimed the videos were “one-sided”:
“Border Patrol Agents wearing uniform body armor assigned to enforcement operations in Santa Ana, CA encountered a man performing yard work,” it said. “Agents announced themselves and attempted to engage with a man in conversation. The subject refused to answer questions, ran from the agents, and then began swinging a large string trimmer.”The CBP said agents used pepper spray on Barranco, adding that he “continuously forcefully resisted arrest.” He sustained minor scrapes and is now being processed for deportation.
Alejandro Barranco also spoke to The Santanero, a local news outlet,
“I do believe my father was racially profiled — they didn’t ask him anything,” he said. “They just started chasing him, and he ran because he was scared. He didn’t know who was after him.”“He has always worked hard to put food on the table for us and my mom,” he added. “He was always careful and always did his taxes on time. He never caused any problems and he is known as a kind and helping person by everyone in our community.”
Alejandro added that his father is in the process of applying for citizenship.
Guillermo Villareal, the manager of the IHOP, defended Barranco, confirming to Fox 11 Los Angeles that he was the landscaper for the restaurant and had been trimming the bushes that day.
“He was just working,” said Villareal. “Then all of a sudden, these men in masks went after him.” Other witnesses told Fox 11 that they saw Barranco working and described him as panicking and running before being tackled by the CBP agents.
A Barranco family friend has set up a GoFundMe to cover his medical and legal expenses, describing his arrest as “disgusting and heart wrenching.” At the time of publication, the page had raised over $89,000.
Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua posted a video on
“I am deeply saddened the way they handled this,” she said, and “the way they are handling our community.”
“They are not here to protect us and serve, these agents are here to hurt us,” Amezcua continued, urging viewers, regardless of political views, to “have a heart.”
“We are trying to do all that we can, just looking at all these videos of people being arrested, let’s do it right,” she said. “ICE agents let’s do it the right way — otherwise, ICE agents please get out of our city.”
Watch the video clips above via Instagram.