On Friday, the three U.S. Marine fathers broke their silence in tears after making national headlines following violent arrests by Orange County immigration agents last month.
Narciso Barranco spoke publicly for the first time after he was joined by immigration activists and elected officials at a press conference, pinned to the ground and punched an agent when an agent arrested a landscape gardener outside Santa Anai Hop, where he worked.
Baranco’s story became the focus of the debate over President Trump’s immigration policy as undocumented immigrants without criminal history raised their three sons to serve the US Marines.
During the seven-minute address that tore other attendees apart, the Tustin man thanked his family, immigration lawyers and community members who fought for him after being arrested on June 21.
“I humbly say thank you because there are no words in my community that really express what I feel in my heart,” Baranco said in Spanish. “Thank you to the media for telling me what I was talking about.
The man, who was said to be kind and kind by his lawyer, had a message to those who were detained with him at the Adelant Ice Facility, who encouraged them to find strength.
“I want to tell their families, they have faith, they miss you deeply, and even in such a place, hope is alive,” Barako said, pleading with the authorities.
“I ask with respect, give them a bond, don’t take away the chance,” Baranco said.
While Baranco was speaking in Santa Ana, his son Alejandro, who was speaking on behalf of his father, joined Sen. Alex Padilla in downtown Los Angeles, pleaded for a better path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants like his father.
“The country where he gave his life, the country where his sons are now serving, has beaten him pointlessly to support his family,” said Alejandro Barranco, who served as a member of the US Marines in Afghanistan. “Immigrants like my father are not a threat. They raise our nurses, teachers and Marines.”
Senator Padilla said with support from the Valenko family, he introduced legislation to expand the routes to legalizing immigration laws that are not documented without criminal records.
The new bill is about to move eligibility cutoff dates, so immigrants are eligible for a legal permanent resident status if they have been in the United States for at least seven years before submitting their application. Currently, the registry cutoff date has not been updated since 1986.
The bill, according to Padilla, aims to provide millions of U.S. residents with a path to green cards, including dreamers, TPS holders, children of long-term visa holders and essential workers.
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