Name: Videos of U.S. immigration arrests swamp social media
Uploaded: 2025-12-12T19:48:08.043Z
Duration: 5 min 2 s
Description: Videos of violent encounters with U.S. immigration officers regularly go viral and are seen by millions. What do they actually show? DW looked into three incidents to find out what happened after the videos went public.

Videos of violent encounters with U.S. immigration officers regularly go viral and are seen by millions. What do they actually show? DW looked into three incidents to find out what happened after the videos went public.

Recent videos posted to social media have captured aggressive immigration enforcement actions by U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents in California, Oregon, and New York. These incidents, which include the use of force and arrests in sensitive locations, have led to public vigils, congressional hearings, and lawsuits challenging the conduct of officers.

In response, local and federal officials have intervened in several cases, with some officers facing temporary suspension and investigations. The events have fueled debate over the Trump administration's deportation policies and the appropriateness of immigration enforcement tactics, especially in places like schools and courts.

Videos of U.S. immigration arrests swamp social media

On June 21st, videos were posted to Instagram showing Border Patrol agents in Santa Ana, California, pursuing a man carrying a grass trimmer as he tries to escape. One of the officers draws a gun. A second video shows an agent repeatedly striking the same man in the head while he's pinned to the ground. After a brief struggle, they force him into their vehicle. That's where the video ends. Local politicians reacted to the video, linking it to President Donald Trump's aggressive deportation policy. Soon afterwards, he was identified as Narciso Barranco, an undocumented Mexican immigrant and father of three U.S. Marines. On the 4th of July, a national holiday, over 100 people attended a vigil for Barranco near the site where he was arrested. Barranco's case caught the attention of California Congressman Lucorrea and Senator Alex Padilla. They intervened to help the Barranco family locate him and secure his release on bond. And Senator Padilla invited Barranco's son, Alejandro, to testify at a congressional hearing on immigration enforcement. Is there anything else that you would like to share about the cruelty with which your father was treated or what your family has gone through? The way they treated him and the way they handled that situation was very unprofessional. It showed men who were not trained, it doesn't seem like it. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security commented on Barranco's arrest, saying, the illegal alien ran, then turned and swung a weed whacker directly at an agent's face. The agents took appropriate action and followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary. On July 26, Narciso Barranco appeared in public alongside his family, as seen in this segment from NBC4 Los Angeles, thanking everyone who helped him. Barranco's lawyer told DW that he's still in the U.S. with his family. He continues to face deportation proceedings, and his next court date is in January. On July 15, Iranian-born chiropractor Mahdi Khanbabazadeh was on his way to drop off his child at a preschool in Oregon when he was pulled over to the side of the road by ICE agents. What's going on? Go ahead and roll your window all the way down. I have a baby in the car. That's okay, that's okay. Go ahead and roll your window all the way down. Happy party. In this next shot of the video provided by his family, it appears he's driven to the school accompanied by police. Mommy's coming now. Yeah. Okay? After a gap in the video here, Khanbabazadeh is seen alone in the car with his windows rolled up. At this point, the ICE officers start to break into the car. Hell, hold on. I'm getting out. I'm getting out. Well, you should have done it already. I told you three times, I'm looking at your seatbelt, step out of the car. Yeah, but you saw him do it, sir. Step out of the car. That's where the video ends. Here's what's happened since then. Three staff members and one parent of a child at the preschool decided to sue. They joined a federal lawsuit filed earlier this year by a Latino union against the Trump administration, calling for a ban on immigration enforcement in churches, hospitals, and schools. Plaintiff Caroline Medeiros says she lives with the fear that if ICE shows up again, they will again use excessive force or employ firearms, and a stray bullet could injure or kill a child. Khanbabazadeh was taken into custody and released about 10 days later on bond. He had immigrated legally to the U.S. as a student, according to U.S. immigration records. He's married to a U.S. citizen, and his family says he was awaiting a green card when he was arrested. On September 25th, ICE agents intercepted an Ecuadoran asylum seeker at an immigration court in New York City, forcefully separating him from his wife and children before taking him away. A second video shows the wife, Monica Moreta-Galarza, pleading with that same supervisor. The incident caught the attention of New York City official Brad Lander, who, along with Congressman Dan Goldman, wrote a letter to the U.S. attorney general requesting an investigation into the ICE officer's conduct, which was granted. Moreta-Galarza told CBS News New York she was left in a state of shock by the incident, but still has hope that her family will be reunited. Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security said, the officer's conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE, and said that he had been relieved of duties pending an investigation. It was a rare rebuke of the aggressive tactics immigration officers are employing across the U.S. as they carry out President Trump's deportation agenda. But on September 29th, just three days after the ICE supervisor was suspended, CBS News reported that he had already returned to his duties.

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