AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman with Juan González.

We turn now to the immigration crackdown. ICE detentions have reached all-time highs, surpassing 56,000 people, the largest increase of people arrested with no serious criminal history. Nearly a third of ICE detainees have only immigration violations on their record, up from just 6% in January. This is according to Data Analyst Andrew Kocher.

We turn now to just one case out of Southern California. On Saturday, Narciso Barranco was arrested while working as a landscaper at an IHOP in Santa Ana.

NARCISO BARRANCO: [screams]

BYSTANDER: [speaking Spanish]

NARCISO BARRANCO: [screams]

AMY GOODMAN: We are watching federal agents. The video taken shows seven federal agents, all masked, pinning 48-year-old Narciso Barranco to the ground, repeatedly punching him in the head, before pushing him into an unmarked vehicle. Barranco was born in Mexico. He’s been in the United States for more than 30 years. He also has three sons in the U.S. military, two active duty Marines, one, who joins us now, is a Marine veteran. Alejandro Barranco was able to see his dad in custody yesterday, days after the arrest, still wearing the same bloodied clothes.

We’re also joined by Jonathan Hernandez, councilmember for the city of Santa Ana, California. We welcome you both to Democracy Now!. Let’s begin with Alejandro. Can you – the country is seeing this horrific video of your dad being beaten, punched in the head by these masked agents. Explain what you understand happened and how he was yesterday when you saw him.

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO: Yeah, so yesterday when I saw him, he looked beat up, he looked rough, he looked defeated, he was sad. It’s just not right, the way all this is happening. There’s – I think anybody would be scared if they see these guys come up to them, masked, not in uniform, guns out. It was just – it was bad.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And did your father tell you what they said to him as they came up? Was this part of a general sweep, or were they specifically just targeting him?

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO: I think it was just a general sweep. There was reports that they were in the area where he was at. And I think they just saw him, racially profiled, and came up to him. They had no warrant for him, they weren’t looking for him. My dad has no criminal history.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Now, you served a tour in Afghanistan. Can you talk about the rules of engagement that you had in place when you were there? And should federal agents be held to a similar or higher standard than soldiers in war zones?

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO: Yeah, for sure. I do believe that there has to be a proper rules of engagement. I don’t even know if they’ve made that public yet. And over there, you couldn’t really do much. You can’t hit back, you can’t shoot, you can’t do nothing unless someone were to shoot at you or directly try to harm you.

AMY GOODMAN: After the video of Barranco’s arrest went viral, the Department of Homeland Security responded to a local news report with a post on X saying, quote, “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 slandered portrayal of what actually happened,” unquote, the government said. Your response?

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO: My dad didn’t try to attack them at all. In that video, it shows them pepper spraying him right before he turns, and I think it’s just a natural instinct and body movement to try to defend them – try to defend himself.

AMY GOODMAN: I want to bring Jonathan Hernandez into this conversation. You’re a city councilmember with the Santa Ana City Council. You shared the viral video showing Narciso Barranco being punched by the Border Patrol agents. Can you talk about your first reaction when you saw this landscaper being taken down by masked men? And my question is this, why are city councils around the country passing laws that say protestors can no longer wear masks, but why not pass laws that say agents can no longer wear masks? I remember in New York when a police officer would cover just their badge number with black tape, if you could prove that, there would be trouble. And now, we’re talking about masked and hooded agents? Jonathan Hernandez.

JONATHAN HERNANDEZ: Yes, thank you. Well, first and foremost, I want to begin by sending a message of solidarity with the family of Narciso Barranco, and I want to applaud his son Alejandro Barranco and thank him for his service to our country. They are a shining example of what Mexican-American families represent and our devotion and love for this country. What we have seen over the course of this past weekend on video is injustice. We are seeing an extreme abuse of power on the screens of our phones, and we have seen a hard-working Santa Ana resident of over three decades who has raised three children who have all decided to sacrifice their freedom for this country that we love.

Their father was treated as if he’s not birthed American heroes in this country. And what we are seeing across the nation is a community and a country that is growing united in that we are watching the violence unfold, we are seeing racial profiling increase in cities like Santa Ana, where 41% of our residents are migrants, 70% are of Latino descent. The majority of those in the Latino community in Santa Ana are of Mexican descent, families like the Barranco family, families like mine that migrated here from Mexico to Santa Ana.

We have examples of, for one, over $100 million of taxpayer money here in Orange County is accredited to immigrant families, families like Mr. Barranco. And what we are seeing is unidentified agents come into our community, and they’re refusing to identify themselves, they don’t have judicial warrants and these ICE raids are an example of the government’s overreach. And they’re a violation of our First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights. And Mr. Barranco’s a clear example of Donald Trump’s administration targeting some of the hardest-working American families that we have in Santa Ana.

In this community, we are going to stand up to ensure that number one, Narciso Barranco is brought home to the city of Santa Ana so that he can be reunited with his family. Number two, that the National Guard and the militarized approach to policing in our community ends immediately. There’s no reason for people to be beat on camera because they’re immigrants. And lastly, we want for every single agent who comes into this community to identify themselves. And as a policymaker, I will be making sure that the Department understands that this is a top priority to our city.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And Councilmember, you said in the past that a day without Mexicans is a day without America. How are you seeing these workplace raids and these sweeps in cities like yours undermine the economic fabric of local communities?

JONATHAN HERNANDEZ: Well, that’s a fantastic question. The brutal reality is, the violence that we see firsthand on the screens of our phone isn’t just tearing apart our families in our backyard, it’s also tearing apart our local economy. Our economy in Santa Ana is held by – is upheld by immigrant, hard-working families like the Barranco family. And when you look in Santa Ana, what helped us carry through the COVID pandemic were these very immigrant workers that Donald Trump is now targeting.

These were the essential workers that were keeping groceries on your table. These were the essential workers that were providing healthcare access to your family. These were the essential workers that continued to keep your kids educated. These were the essential workers who made sure that you had a place to eat. And in Santa Ana, what we’re seeing is, the impact economically is deserted businesses. City streets in the downtown that are not flooded with our residents walking and spending their dollars after school and with their families.

This has had adverse impacts on our local economy, it’s affecting our local businesses, and it’s affecting our residents. You have people who are choosing to not go to work. You have children who are choosing to not come out of their homes. And lastly, part of why I mentioned a day without Mexicans is a day without America is because the city of Santa Ana is proud of its deep Mexican roots. And a day without us is a day without Santa Ana. I say this as somebody whose family migrated from San Juan de los Lagos to the city of Santa Ana in the 1950s.

My grandfather, much like the Barranco family, we gained citizenship by fighting in America’s wars. That is how we were able to bring over family members. And I think what is important for us to remind this country is, although we may sacrifice all of our freedoms to fight for you, we ask in return that you treat our family as Americans as well. Because we are proud to live here. We are proud to fight for this country. And we’re proud to start our families in these cities. And that’s why we, in the city of Santa Ana, understand how important families like the Barranco family are to this beautiful community, because it wouldn’t be Santa Ana without families like the Barranco family.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, I’d like to bring in Alejandro Barranco again, a Marine veteran and the son of Narciso Barranco. What’s your reaction when you hear your father, who’s been here working for more than 30 years, is referred to by the spokeswoman for Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, as just an illegal alien?

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO: I think it’s inhumane. And I think they’re acting in ways that are just not professional. I encourage these types of people to look more into our community, to visit our people, talk to our people. They’re hard-working people, they love this country and they love to give back.

AMY GOODMAN: Alejandro, your active-duty Marine brothers, two of them, are stationed at Camp Pendleton while 700 of their fellow Marines were deployed to LA amidst the immigration protests. And of course, you’re a Marine veteran. Your final thoughts on what’s happening today. And do you know if your father will get out?

ALEJANDRO BARRANCO: I’m not sure if my father will get out yet. That’s what we’re trying to push and trying to do. Then, about the whole Marine Corps thing in LA, I know these Marines are just following orders. But I do believe that they’re hurt as well, as I know that a lot of their families are undocumented or came from another country and raised them right, and that’s why they’re there.

AMY GOODMAN: Alejandro Barranco, we thank you so much for being with us. Marine veteran, son of Narciso Barranco, who’s currently being detained in California. And Jonathan Hernandez, councilmember for the city of Santa Ana. Thank you. I’m Amy Goodman with Juan González. Thanks for joining us.