Immigrant whose skull was broken in eight places during ICE arrest says beating was unprovoked

Mexican Immigrant Left with Lasting Brain Injuries After Alleged ICE Beating

Alberto Castañeda Mondragón struggles to remember cherished moments with his daughter, including the night he taught her to dance. But the violence he endured during his detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota last month remains painfully clear in his mind.

On January 8, Castañeda Mondragón was pulled from a friend’s car outside a St. Paul shopping center by ICE agents. According to his account, officers threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, then punched him and struck his head with a steel baton before dragging him into an SUV. He says the beating continued at a detention facility.

“They started beating me right away when they arrested me,” the 31-year-old Mexican immigrant told The Associated Press. “They were very racist people. It was their character, their racism toward us, for being immigrants.”

The violence left Castañeda Mondragón with eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages, injuries that required emergency treatment at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis.

Medical staff at the hospital immediately questioned the ICE officers’ explanation that Castañeda Mondragón “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.” A CT scan revealed fractures to the front, back, and both sides of his skull—injuries inconsistent with a fall, according to medical professionals.

“There was never a wall,” Castañeda Mondragón said, identifying the weapon as an ASP, a telescoping baton commonly used by law enforcement. According to police training materials and use-of-force policies nationwide, such batons should never be used to strike the head, neck, or spine unless there is a lethal threat to officers or others.

“The only time a person can be struck in the head with any baton is when the person presents the same threat that would permit the use of a firearm,” explained Joe Key, a former Baltimore police lieutenant and use-of-force expert.

A social media video captured moments after the arrest shows Castañeda Mondragón unsteady and stumbling while handcuffed, being held up by officers as bystanders express concern about his condition. According to court documents, at least one ICE officer later told hospital staff that Castañeda Mondragón “got his (expletive) rocked.”

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not responded to requests for comment on Castañeda Mondragón’s injuries. It remains unclear whether the arrest was captured on body cameras, though DHS recently announced a broad rollout of such equipment for immigration officers in Minneapolis.

Court records indicate that Castañeda Mondragón entered the U.S. legally in March 2022 on a temporary work visa and that ICE determined only after his arrest that he had overstayed. A federal judge later ruled his arrest was unlawful and ordered his release from ICE custody.

Castañeda Mondragón’s case has intensified friction between federal immigration agents and the Minneapolis community, coming just one day after the first of two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by immigration officers in the city, incidents that triggered widespread protests.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz expressed concern on social media, writing: “Law enforcement cannot be lawless. Thousands of aggressive, untrained agents of the federal government continue to injure and terrorize Minnesotans. This must end.”

Several Minnesota elected officials, including St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Senator Tina Smith, have called for investigations into Castañeda Mondragón’s injuries. Rep. Kelly Morrison, who recently toured the ICE facility at Ft. Snelling, reported seeing severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and minimal medical care.

“If any one of our police officers did this, you know what just happened in Minnesota with George Floyd, we hold them accountable,” said Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, whose district includes St. Paul.

Despite showing gradual improvement, Castañeda Mondragón was released from the hospital on January 27 with lingering effects of traumatic brain injuries. His memory problems persist, and he suffers from issues with balance and coordination that prevent him from returning to his work as a roofer.

“I can’t get on a roof now,” he said, expressing concern about supporting his elderly father and 10-year-old daughter in Mexico. Without health insurance and unable to earn a living, he relies on community support for food, housing, and medical care.

The psychological trauma has left him afraid to leave his apartment. “You’re left with the nightmare of going to work and being stopped,” he said. “Or that you’re buying your food somewhere, your lunch, and they show up and stop you again. They hit you.”

Despite these challenges, Castañeda Mondragón remains hopeful about staying in the United States, distinguishing between the Minnesota community where he has felt welcome and the federal officers who beat him.

“It’s immense luck to have survived, to be able to be in this country again, to be able to heal, and to try to move forward,” he said. “For me, it’s the best luck in the world.”