Tell me about the veteran who got deported and he has three sons who are all marines

Checked on February 5, 2026
Disclaimer: Factually can make mistakes. Please verify important information or breaking news. Learn more.

Executive summary

Narciso Barranco is an undocumented Southern California landscaper whose June 21, 2025 arrest by federal immigration agents — captured in a viral video showing him pinned and struck — galvanized lawmakers, veterans and advocacy groups because all three of his sons have served in the U.S. Marine Corps [1] [2] [3]. Barranco was detained and taken to an ICE facility in California and later released on a $3,000 bond after more than three weeks in custody, a case that has been folded into broader criticism that aggressive deportation tactics are sweeping up military families [4] [1] [5].

1. The arrest that drew national attention

A video widely circulated on social media shows Barranco being subdued by federal agents outside an IHOP in Santa Ana, Calif., with bystanders shouting as he was pinned and struck, footage that prompted public outcry and legislative criticism, including from Rep. Mike Levin [1] [2]. Family members and media described Barranco as a hardworking gardener with no significant criminal history, and his son Alejandro — a Marine veteran — has publicly said the force used appeared disproportionate and “unprofessional” [1] [3].

2. Who Barranco’s sons are, and how their service shaped the narrative

All three of Barranco’s sons joined the Marine Corps: Alejandro, a 25-year-old Marine veteran who deployed to Afghanistan, and two younger brothers who remain on active duty, reportedly stationed at Camp Pendleton, which has turned the family’s story into a potent symbol of immigrant family members of service members caught up in enforcement actions [1] [2]. Alejandro has used his platform to plead for compassion and to testify publicly that deporting family members of service members damages not just families but the military community — testimony later echoed in Senate subcommittee hearings about deportations and military families [1] [5].

3. Detention, bond and legal options invoked by the family

After his arrest Barranco was moved to the Adelanto Detention Center in Southern California and remained in ICE custody for more than three weeks before release on a $3,000 bond, an outcome achieved after advocacy from lawmakers and public attention [4]. The family had explored Parole in Place — an immigration benefit meant for relatives of service members — but reporting indicates Barranco did not have the resources or time to pursue that avenue fully before his arrest, illustrating the legal and logistical barriers many military families face [2].

4. The government’s response and competing narratives

Department of Homeland Security and related federal statements asserted that agents used the minimum force necessary and followed training to ensure safety, a position that DHS and immigration authorities have consistently invoked in similar incidents [3]. Critics point to the video and to policy shifts — including reported increases in arrest quotas under the administration at the time — as evidence that enforcement priorities were sweeping up nonviolent, family-oriented immigrants, including those tied to military service [4] [1].

5. Broader context: veterans, service members and deportation risk

Barranco’s case is one of several high-profile incidents where immigrant relatives of troops or veterans have been detained or deported, prompting advocates to warn that legal limbo and aggressive enforcement are destabilizing military families; investigative reports and congressional testimony have detailed other deportations of veterans and family members, and groups such as Repatriate Our Patriots and legal advocates have pushed for policy fixes [5] [6]. Official data on removals of veterans is sparse, but reporting indicates concern about gaps that leave some who served or whose families served vulnerable to removal [5].

6. What is established — and what remains uncertain

Reporting clearly establishes Barranco’s arrest, the viral footage of force used, his detention at an ICE facility and subsequent release on bond, and that all three sons served in the Marines [1] [2] [4] [3]. Public records and the cited reporting do not show Barranco was deported; instead they document detention and release on bond, and they link the incident to wider debates over immigration enforcement and military-family protections [4] [5]. Sources diverge in framing culpability: family and some lawmakers characterize the arrest as excessive and symptomatic of a punitive enforcement agenda, while DHS frames the same actions as trained, necessary procedures [3] [4] [1].

Want to dive deeper?
What is Parole in Place and how does it apply to family members of U.S. service members?
How many military family members and veterans have been detained or deported since 2017, according to DHS and investigative reporting?
What legal recourse and advocacy organizations exist for immigrant relatives of active-duty service members and veterans facing deportation?