los angeles — An immigration judge dismissed the deportation case against a landscaper who was Arrested In Southern California last year, W Father of three US Marines He is now on the path toward permanent legal residency in the United States
The arrest of Narciso Barranco, who came to the United States from Mexico in the 1990s but has no legal status, drew widespread attention last June. campaign on immigration by the administration of President Donald Trump Audits and protests.
Witnesses uploaded videos of the arrest in Santa Ana, a city in Orange County. Federal agents fought Barranco and pinned him to the ground outside an IHOP restaurant where he was weeding.
Barranco was transported to a detention center in Los Angeles and placed in deportation proceedings. In July, he was released on $3,000 bail and ordered to wear an ankle monitor.
In a Jan. 28 order ending the deportation case, Judge Christine S. Piepmeier said Barranco, 49, had presented evidence that he had three U.S.-born children in the military, making him eligible for legal status.
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday it would appeal the judge’s decision, which was first reported by The New York Times.
Barranco’s attorney, Lisa Ramirez, said her client feels “very relieved” now that immigration officers removed his ankle monitor and stopped his check-in.
“The aggressive nature of the arrest was traumatic,” Ramirez said Thursday. “Mr. Barranco had no criminal history. They pursued him because he was a swarthy gardener on the streets of Santa Ana.”
Ramirez said Barranco applied for parole in place, a program that protects parents of American military personnel from deportation and helps them obtain permanent residency. If this petition is approved, Barranco will receive a work permit. She estimated that the process could take six months or more.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin repeated the previous government’s allegations that Barranco refused to comply with orders and pointed his weed trimmer at a customer.
“Agents took appropriate action and continued their training to use the minimum force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers,” McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday.
His son, Alejandro Barranco, told The Associated Press in June that his father had never attacked anyone, had no criminal record, and was kind and hardworking. The US Marine Corps veteran said the use of force was unnecessary and very different from his military training. He helped the US military evacuate its Afghan personnel and allies from Afghanistan in 2021.
Alejandro left the Marine Corps in 2023. His two brothers are currently on active duty in the Marine Corps.