ICE Said Migrant Ran Into a Wall. Medical Staff Balks

A Mexican immigrant suffered severe facial and skull fractures while in federal custody earlier this month and was later treated at a Minneapolis hospital, according to court filings and medical staff familiar with the case.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents initially reported that Alberto Castaneda Mondragon, 31, attempted to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to documents filed by his attorney seeking his release. However, medical staff at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) concluded that explanation did not match the extent of his injuries, which included multiple skull fractures and bleeding in several areas of his brain.

Three nurses who treated Castaneda Mondragon told the Associated Press that his injuries were inconsistent with running into a wall or suffering an accidental fall. “There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall,” one nurse said.

The AP also interviewed a doctor, five nurses from HCMC, and an outside physician, all of whom agreed the injuries did not align with ICE’s initial account. According to court filings and a hospital staff member, at least one ICE officer later told caregivers that Castaneda Mondragon “got his [expletive] rocked” following his Jan. 8 arrest near a shopping center in St. Paul.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.

Castaneda Mondragon is originally from Veracruz, Mexico, and worked as a roofer. His brother said he helps support a 10-year-old daughter living in his hometown. Court documents state that he entered the United States in 2022 with valid immigration documents. Minnesota business filings show he founded a company called Castaneda Construction in St. Paul in 2023. He reportedly has no criminal record.

His attorneys allege that he was racially profiled during an immigration enforcement action and that officers only determined after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa. In a petition seeking his release, they wrote that he was targeted because he was “a brown-skinned, Latino Spanish speaker at a location immigration agents arbitrarily decided to target.”

After his arrest, Castaneda Mondragon was taken to an ICE processing center near Minneapolis. About four hours later, he was transported to a hospital emergency room in Edina with swelling, bruising, and bleeding. A CT scan revealed at least eight skull fractures and multiple life-threatening brain hemorrhages, according to court records. He was later transferred to HCMC for further treatment.

More than two weeks after his arrest, a U.S. District Court judge ordered his release from ICE custody. He was discharged from the hospital shortly afterward. Hospital officials said they had no information about his current condition or whereabouts.

Court filings submitted by Department of Justice attorneys confirmed to the judge that Castaneda Mondragon is no longer in federal custody. His brother said that, with no family in Minnesota, co-workers are now caring for him. He is experiencing significant memory loss and faces a long recovery. He is not expected to return to work soon, and friends and family are concerned about how his medical care will be covered.

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