Mexican president condemns "unjust" detention of migrant in U.S.

26/6/2025 16:02

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday condemned what she described as 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.



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.



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.