Narciso Barranco: Family of California gardener advocating for justice, preventing deportation

ICE detained gardener in Tustin

A disturbing video of ICE and CBP agents detaining a gardener sparked outrage in Tustin.

TUSTIN, Calif. - A viral video showing U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arresting and punching an undocumented gardener in Orange County is sparking public outrage and raising questions about the use of force during immigration enforcement.

The man in the video is Narciso Barranco, a landscaper who was working outside an IHOP restaurant in Tustin when masked agents approached him. 

According to witnesses, Barranco panicked and ran before being tackled, struck multiple times, and detained by CBP officers.

The video, widely circulated on social media, shows Barranco being punched during the arrest. IHOP manager Guillermo Villareal says Barranco is the restaurant’s landscaper and he was trimming the bushes. 

"He was just working," Villareal said. "Then all of a sudden, these men in masks went after him." 

What’s drawing even more attention is who Narciso’s children are: all three of his sons serve or have served in the U.S. Marine Corps. One of them, Alejandro Barranco, is a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan. His two younger brothers are currently stationed at Camp Pendleton. 

Alejandro says, "I love what I did, and I love serving my country. I think my brothers do as well, and it just infuriates us that our own country is doing this to our own people. What we fight for is justice, and we need a better pathway to fix all of this." 

Alejandro says he found out about his father’s arrest from people who saw the video online and sent it to him. "He’s undocumented, yes—but he has no criminal record," Alejandro said.

The day after the arrest, the family was able to speak with Narciso by phone. Alejandro describes the call as heartbreaking. 

"He sounded scared, he sounded like he was crying. I’ve never heard him like that," said Alejandro. Now, the Barranco family has launched a GoFundMe to help pay for legal representation. They’re hoping to stop Narciso from being deported.

Despite everything, Alejandro says he remains hopeful. He says, "I believe it's going to reach the right people. I believe there's going to be a change. I hope it's soon, and I hope these type of situations don't happen again. We don't want to see any of our people getting beat."

Customs and Border Protection has not publicly commented on the incident.