Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that ICE agents were trying to “arrest two illegal aliens.”

Narciso Barranco, the 48-year-old Tustin landscaper and father of three U.S. Marines who was punched in the head and detained by federal immigration agents last month — sparking a nationwide outcry — will be released on bond from the Adelanto U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center, a supporter said.

“We should all be appalled about what’s going on,” Nixon said during a press conference outside the detention center after being denied entry.

The idea has circulated at the university for several years but gained steam after pro-Palestinian protests began disrupting campus in late 2023.