A federal immigration judge has ended the deportation case against Narciso Barranco, an undocumented father of three U.S. Marines, the New York Times reported.
Judge Kristin S. Piepmeier on Jan. 28 said Barranco had provided evidence that his children were in the military, rendering him eligible to obtain lawful status.
"I think the American people would agree that no one like Narciso Barranco, who raised three U.S. citizen Marines and has no criminal record, deserved the treatment he received," Lisa Ramirez, Barranco's lawyer, said shortly after the ruling.
Barranco was arrested last summer when he had been weeding bushes at an IHOP in Santa Ana, California.
One of his sons, Alejandro, a 25-year-old U.S. Marine veteran whose two younger brothers are active-duty Marines, said in an interview with NPR at the time that the agents' actions were "unprofessional and uncalled for."
"I don't think it represents our law enforcement officers, anything like that. I was really, really mad when I saw that. I couldn't believe it," Alejandro Barranco added. "The way they treated him, like, so inhumane."
Narciso Barranco, 49, was born in Mexico and has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s. He had no criminal record prior to his arrest and is married to an American citizen.
After his arrest, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Narciso Barranco ran from agents, "swung a weed whacker" at an agent's face and refused to comply with officers' commands.
"The agents took appropriate action and followed 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."
Narciso Barranco told the Times the judge's ruling "was a victory, and I am happy for it. But I am still afraid that I could be grabbed."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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