Narciso Barranco and his sons, all Marines.
By now you have probably seen the viral video of many (five? six? seven?) masked and armed goons beating the crap out of 48-year-old Narciso Barranco in Santa Ana, California, a few days ago. The goons rolled up on Mr. Barranco as he was landscaping in front of an IHOP. They pepper-sprayed him, pointed loaded guns at him, injured him, stuffed him into an unmarked SUV and sent him to the ICE prison in Adelanto, a ways northeast of Los Angeles.
His sons, all active or former Marines, have given numerous interviews to the media. Headlines and links:
Masked men in U.S. Border Patrol vests take Santa Ana father after repeatedly hitting him - KTLA.com
Border Patrol Agents Brutally Detain Santa Ana Landscaper - Daily Beast
Marine's Father Beaten by Masked Men in Border Patrol Vests - Newsweek
Shocking video appears to show father of three US Marines being beaten by masked agents in parking lot - Independent
Marine veteran defends gardener father seen being hit by immigration agents in video - NBC News
Marine veteran says Border Patrol agents beat his dad, while agency says he swung trimmer at them - Associated Press
Yes, you read that last line correctly. DHS, on brand, lies about the beatdown, claiming, “He ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER.”
You watch the videos, all of them, and then decide who is lying.
One very key point: “Narciso’s son Alejandro Barranco, 25, a Marine veteran, told MSNBC on Tuesday that had he treated a detainee the same way while he was serving as a Marine, “it would have been a war crime. … You see in the video where my dad is running with the weed whacker, there’s a so-called agent running with his gun and pointing it sideways at a vehicle … At what point in our training are we taught to hold our gun sideways? It’s always both hands on the gun and your finger off the trigger.”
One bit of good news: to help with legal fees, the family set up a GoFundMe page. So far they have raised over $210,000! They should be able to hire some kick-ass legal talent to help Mr. Barranco as he fights for his rights in immigration court.
Don’t you feel safer knowing this landscaper is off the streets?
MORE “FEEL SAFER NOW?” NEWS:
Norwegian tourist Mads Mikkelsen, 21, was deported from Newark airport because CBP goons found this meme on his phone -
FROM THE GOLLUM THE GRIFTER FILES:
“White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller owns a massive stake in Palantir, which stands to make millions off of Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, according to the Project on Government Oversight.
Miller’s public financial disclosure report said that the ghoulish Homeland Security adviser owns between $100,001 and $250,000 in assets at the defense company. Miller reportedly acquired the stock after Trump exited the White House in 2021, but sometime before he enacted his sprawling plan to bolster immigration enforcement. The data had been revised as recently as June 4.
Last month, the Trump administration tapped Palantir to help build a massive system to allow federal agencies to better share their data with each other, creating a huge database that will serve as a surveillance tool for the state. Palantir has also been angling to get involved with the U.S. Navy’s efforts to fast-track warship building. Palantir has been the highest performing company on the S&P in 2025, with its stock price surging 80 percent this year alone. Given Miller’s involvement in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his financial stake in Palantir should raise significant concerns over potential conflicts of interest. Should he direct an update of DHS’s digital systems, Palantir could stand as a likely beneficiary.” - The New Republic
“Miller’s stake is tucked away in a brokerage account for one of his three young children, all of which are under the age of six. The single degree of separation is still a potential violation of ethics laws. Palantir has been a critical player in the Trump administration’s efforts to execute the mass deportation of undocumented migrants. The company received a $41 million government contract in 2014, and created custom software for ICE, referred to as Investigative Case Management (ICM). The platform synthesizes massive troves of data on undocumented migrants from various federal and private law enforcement agencies, creating extremely detailed files that are used to craft deportation cases on individuals, and locate them for arrest and detention.” - Rolling Stone
Query: Is it fair to call Stephen Miller Gollum? A young friend of a friend says, “That's not accurate because Gollum was human and his humanity surfaced occasionally in sympathetic behavior. But … Stephen Miller doesn't qualify as a human being.” So, the jury’s out?
That’s plenty for today. Comments always welcome. THANK YOU! to all subscribers, free and paid.
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I think describing Stephen Miller as "goulish" is fair, but that applies to his character. Sinister is the word that comes to mind when I see his image.