OC gardener Narciso Barranco punched by federal agents during workplace arrest, son demands answers
Jun 22, 2025·Location: Tustin, CA
Country of origin: Mexico

Narciso Barranco, a 5'7", 150-pound landscaper who has lived in the United States since the 1990s, was detained by ICE and Border Patrol agents on June 21, 2025, during a workplace enforcement action at an IHOP in Santa Ana, Orange County, California. Video footage of the arrest shows multiple masked federal agents repeatedly punching Barranco in the head and neck and tackling him to the ground in a busy intersection as he was pinned by three officers. His oldest son, Alejandro, a 25-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran with two active-duty Marine brothers, said his father was scared when plainclothes armed agents approached him and expressed concern about the excessive force used by multiple larger officers. After speaking with his father by phone the following day, Alejandro reported that Barranco was injured, had not received medical attention, was very thirsty, and had not eaten. Barranco is being held by ICE at a detention center in Los Angeles. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Barranco swung a weed whacker at an agent and refused to comply with commands, though videos show him running with the tool and attempting to open a car door before being tackled.
Timeline
Sources
- NPR
- Mexican father of 3 U.S. Marines in California gets deportation reprieve
Los Angeles Times·Feb 12, 2026·archived copy
- Narciso Barranco: DHS says OC gardener detained by ICE swung weed whacker at agent
- lipstickalley.com
- Landscaper violently arrested by ICE agents speaks out - Fullerton Observer
fullertonobserver.com·Jul 27, 2025·archived copy
- OC man forcibly detained by Border Patrol agents in Santa Ana, video shows
abc7.com·Jun 24, 2025·archived copy
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