DHS defends officers’ actions in viral Santa Ana landscaper arrest video

A video has now gone viral showing a landscaper in Santa Ana appearing to be panicking and swinging a weed whacker before being tackled by CBP officers.

The immigration enforcement officers in the video can be seen appearing to tackle and strike Narciso Barranco, a husband and father of three sons who are United States Marines, while he was doing his landscaping job outside an IHOP on Edinger and Ritchey in Santa Ana, CA. 

The video is sparking outrage as questions are being raised about the alleged use of force by agents and whether Barranco, who is undocumented, was allegedly trying to mow down officers attempting to detain him or simply trying to run away.

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Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua posted her reaction video on Instagram after seeing what she described as the “horrendous video.”

“Now, this gentleman is being arrested by ICE agents and all I have to tell you is that I am deeply upset the way they handled our community. The way they are handling our community. This arrest looked so unprofessional and just wrong in so many ways. They are not here to protect us and serve these agents right here are here to hurt us,” Amezcua said. 

The Department of Homeland Security has accused the media of misportraying the incident, writing on X that the man was attempting to run away from law enforcement and allegedly began to swing the weed whacker directly at a border patrol agent’s face. 

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“He ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER. Perhaps the mainstream media would like our officers to stand there and be mowed down instead of defending themselves? What a completely slanted portrayal of what actually happened,” the post stated.

In a statement to FOX 11, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claims they took the appropriate steps.

“The agents took appropriate action and following their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers,” the statement read.

However, Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick said he disagreed about what the video supposedly depicts.

“The video shows him vaguely waving a weed whacker at someone far outside his reach, as he runs away from people he says didn’t identify themselves or even say anything as they ran at him. That is not assault under any definition of the term. And it doesn’t merit BEING BEATEN,” Reichlin-Melnick responded in a repost of the video.

A GoFundMe set up by Jacqueline Vasquez says the way immigration officials handled Barranco was “disgusting.”

“He is a good, hard working man. He has raised his family here and has established himself here. What we ALL saw today was disgusting and heart wrenching. Time after time we are seeing stories like this one,” it stated.

According to the page, Barranco had gone over 24 hours without medical attention and was still wearing the bloody clothes he was detained in. It also states he is in a cell with about 70 people and only receives water once a day.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Jacqueline Vasquez for comment.