She criticized the injust arrest of Narciso Barranco, a gardener whose children serve in the U.S. Marine Corps.

On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum the “unjust” treatment of undocumented migrants in the United States, saying it reflects the mistreatment of migrants who have long contributed to U.S. society.

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At her daily press briefing, Sheinbaum criticized the violent arrest of Narciso Barranco, a Mexican gardener who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years and whose children serve in the U.S. Marine Corps.

A widely-circulated video shows Barranco being tackled and beaten by masked immigration agents — reportedly from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — while trimming bushes outside a restaurant in Tustin, California, over the weekend.

“These are people who left Mexico out of necessity and built their lives in the U.S. They’re Mexican and American, even if they don’t hold legal citizenship,” Sheinbaum said.

“Narciso Barranco, 48, was working as a gardener at a restaurant in Santa Ana, California, when several masked ICE agents approached him to question him about his papers and detain him. For 31 years, this man originally from Cuernavaca, Morelos, has lived in the United States without documents, like tens of thousands of people who have been unable to obtain legal residency in the United States despite paying taxes and working honestly,” Sputnik reported.

“‘He was pepper-sprayed and punched in the face several times by these masked, unidentified officers. He raised his family here and settled here. What we all saw today was disgusting and heartbreaking. Time and again we see stories like this,’ states the Go Fund Me website, where the family has publicized the case to raise money for Narciso’s pending trial,” it added.

In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Barranco initiated the confrontation by attacking agents with a weed trimmer. “Would the media prefer our agents to wait to get injured rather than defend themselves?” the DHS wrote on the social platform X.

Sheinbaum said Mexico’s consulate in Los Angeles had reached out to Barranco and pledged support. She also praised actor Diego Luna for publicly defending the Mexican community during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The Mexican president further criticized the U.S. administration’s immigration raids in cities like Los Angeles, which have sparked protests and clashes throughout June.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua -Sputnik

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