An immigration judge in Los Angeles has dismissed the deportation case against Narciso Barranco, a 49-year-old landscaper and father of three U.S. Marines, marking a major turn in a case that drew national attention amid heightened immigration enforcement policies.

According to reporting by MyNorthwest, Barranco, who came to the United States from Mexico in the 1990s without legal status, was arrested in June 2024 while working outside a Santa Ana restaurant. Videos of the incident, showing federal agents restraining Barranco on the ground, spread quickly online and prompted protests from immigrant rights advocates and veterans groups.

U.S. Immigration Judge Kristin S. Piepmeier terminated Barranco’s deportation proceedings on Jan. 28 after he provided documentation showing he is the father of three American-born Marines. That status makes him eligible to apply for Parole in Place, a federal program that protects immediate family members of active-duty military personnel and veterans from deportation and allows them to pursue lawful permanent residency.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said it will appeal the decision, maintaining its earlier claim that Barranco resisted arrest and swung his weed trimmer at an agent. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that agents “used the minimum amount of force necessary” to safely arrest him. Barranco’s attorney, Lisa Ramirez, countered that her client posed no threat and was subjected to “aggressive” and “traumatic” apprehension despite having no criminal record.

Following the ruling, federal officers removed Barranco’s ankle monitor and discontinued his mandatory check-ins. His attorney said the family feels “extreme relief” and that Barranco is now focused on completing his Parole in Place application, a process expected to take several months.

Barranco’s eldest son, Alejandro, a former Marine who assisted in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and allies from Afghanistan in 2021, told the Associated Press that his father’s treatment stood in sharp contrast to the values of discipline and restraint instilled in his military training. His two younger brothers remain on active duty with the Marine Corps.

The case underscores the complex intersection of federal immigration enforcement and military family protections, an issue that has generated bipartisan concern in Congress. In 2019, the Department of Defense reaffirmed that Parole in Place serves a “vital” role in ensuring family stability for service members serving honorably under U.S. command.