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one Mexican Immigrants are taken to a minneapolis He was taken to a hospital earlier this month after suffering fractures to his face and skull while in federal custody.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed that Alberto Castañeda Mondragon tried to escape while handcuffed and “deliberately ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to court documents filed by an attorney seeking his release.
But three nurses familiar with the case said Hennepin County Medical Center staff believed that was unlikely to explain the 31-year-old’s brain fractures and bleeding.
“If there’s anything ridiculous about it, it’s ridiculous,” one nurse told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss patient care. “There’s no way this guy ran into a wall.”
Here’s information about the case, which provides one of the latest examples of clashes between immigration officials and health care workers that have led to growing friction at Minneapolis hospitals.
Injuries appear inconsistent with ICE’s account
The Associated Press spoke to a doctor and five nurses working in Ho Chi Minh City who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Castañeda Mondragon’s case. The AP also consulted an outside doctor, who both determined his injuries were not consistent with an accidental fall or hitting a wall.
ICE’s description of his injuries occurred while federal officers were at his bedside. At least one ICE officer told paramedics that Castañeda Mondragon was “(expletive) shocked” after her Jan. 8 arrest near a St. Paul mall, court documents and a hospital worker said. His arrest came a day after two fatal shootings involving immigration officers in Minneapolis.
this Department of Homeland SecurityAgencies, including ICE, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on his injuries. A deportation officer sidestepped the issue in court documents, saying that during the intake process at an ICE detention center, it was determined that he had a “head injury requiring emergency medical treatment.”
Who is the injured man?
Gregorio Castañeda Mondragon said his brother was a roofer from Veracruz, Mexico. He has a 10-year-old daughter who lives in his hometown where he helps support her.
According to his attorney, Castañeda Mondragon entered the United States in 2022 with valid immigration documents. Minnesota corporate filings show he founded a company called Castaneda Construction the following year, with an address listed in St. Paul. He does not appear to have a criminal record.
Castañeda Mondragon was racially profiled during the crackdown and officials only determined he had overstayed his visa after his arrest, his lawyer told the court.
“He is a brown-skinned, Latino Spanish-speaking individual who resides in a location arbitrarily determined by USCIS to be targeted,” his attorneys wrote in a petition.
What we know about how he was injured
Castañeda Mondragon was initially transported to an ICE processing center on the edge of Minneapolis. court records That includes a warrant for his arrest signed by an ICE officer upon his arrival, not an immigration judge.
About four hours after his arrest, he was rushed to a hospital emergency room in suburban Edina with swelling, bruising and bleeding around his right eye. CT scans showed he had at least eight skull fractures and life-threatening bleeding in at least five areas of his brain, court documents said. He was later transferred to Ho Chi Minh City.
Castañeda Mondragon was alert and talking and told staff he was “dragged and abused by federal agents,” although his condition quickly deteriorated, the documents said.
The following week, a Jan. 16 court filing said he had poor reflexes and communication skills, was disoriented and was heavily sedated.
On Saturday, a U.S. District Court judge ordered Castañeda Mondragón to be released from ICE custody more than two weeks after his arrest.
To the surprise of some who treated him, Castañeda Mondragon was released from the hospital on Tuesday. A hospital spokesperson said she was unaware of his current condition or location.
On Wednesday, Justice Department lawyers submitted documents to the judge who ordered Castañeda Mondragon’s release, confirming that he is no longer in federal custody.
Castañeda Mondragon had no family in Minnesota and a co-worker took him in, his brother said. He suffered severe memory loss and recovery will take a long time. He won’t be able to work for the foreseeable future, and his friends and family are worried about paying for his care.
“He still doesn’t remember what happened. I think (he remembers) 20 percent of 100 percent of what he remembers,” said Gregorio Castañeda Mondragón, who lives in Mexico.
What happened in the hospital?
ICE officers bring seriously injured detainees into hospitals and stay at their bedsides day after day, staff said. The crackdown has unsettled hospital employees, who say ICE agents have been seen roaming the premises demanding proof of citizenship from patients and staff.
Hospital staff said they were uncomfortable with the presence of armed agents who they distrusted and appeared to be untrained.
Nurses who spoke to The Associated Press said they were intimidated by ICE’s presence in intensive care units and were even told to avoid certain bathrooms to minimize contact with police. They said workers were using encrypted messaging apps to exchange notes and share information because they feared the government might spy on their communications.
The hospital reminds employees that ICE officers are not allowed to have access to patients or protected information without a search warrant or court order.
“patient “Under federal supervision, the patient comes first,” hospital officials wrote in an announcement outlining the new protocol. The hospital’s written policy also states that handcuffs or other restraints should not be used unless medically necessary.
“We have our policies, but ICE personnel who are federal officials don’t necessarily follow those policies, and that creates tensions,” said one doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on behalf of the hospital.
Alisa Harris, a hospital spokesperson, said ICE agents “have not yet entered our facilities to search for individuals.”
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Mustian reported from New York and Bizek reported from Washington.