Father Of Marines Battered By Immigration Agents In Shocking Viral Video

The son of a man who was brutalized by immigration authorities in Orange County, California, is speaking up after video of the incident went viral over the weekend.

The disturbing footage shows landscaper Narciso Barranco being pinned down and battered by a group of masked agents as he was picked up while working outside of a Santa Ana IHOP on Saturday.

At least a half-dozen men wearing gear identifying them as U.S. Border Patrol swarmed the man and beat him before forcing him into the back of an SUV.

Son Alejandro Barranco, a veteran of the U.S. Marines, told the Los Angeles Times his father was pepper sprayed and beaten, suffering a dislocated shoulder.

Alejandro Barranco said that he spoke to his father about 6 p.m. Sunday and was told that his dad had yet to receive medical treatment in the more than 24 hours after he was detained and sent to an immigration facility in Los Angeles.

Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the Times that Narciso Barranco declined medical care. She also alleged that he swung a weed whacker at an agent and fought his arrest.

HuffPost also has reached out to Customs and Border Protection for comment.

Describing the agent’s actions as needlessly violent and excessive, Alejandro Barranco told the Times, “I don’t think it was just, I don’t think it was fair. I don’t think they need four 200 [pound]-plus guys to hold down a 5-6 or 5-7, 150-pound guy.”

Explaining his initial reaction to the now-viral video of his father’s arrest, he also told Santanero, “I didn’t really know what to say. I was still in shock and distress. I do believe my father was racially profiled; they didn’t ask him anything.”

Alejandro Barranco described his father as an active, caring member of the community in his interview with the Times, saying, “If anyone ever needed any help, he was always there.”

Along with their older brother’s military ties, Narciso Barranco’s younger sons, Emanuel and José Luis Barranco, are active-duty members of the Marines.

The footage of the masked agents comes as California lawmakers are moving to pass a law that would require law enforcement to properly identify themselves during enforcement actions.

A media release from the bill’s supporters, California Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) and Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo, said, “Recent incidents involving individuals impersonating law enforcement officers have created confusion, fear and mistrust in communities across the state. This legislation seeks to establish clear and consistent standards, requiring officers to identify themselves during enforcement actions.”