Dr. Barranco joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2012 after receiving his Ph.D. in Sociology from Louisiana State University. His scholarly interests are in the areas of race/ethnicity, immigration, and crime. His past work has focused on how immigration policy has affected race/ethnicity and homicide - especially in relation to Latinos. These works can be found in some of the top journals in sociology and criminology, including Social Forces, The Sociological Quarterly, Homicide Studies, and Deviant Behavior.