Minneapolis, Minnesota — A Mexican immigrant who suffered eight skull fractures during a January arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents says the beating was unprovoked, contradicting claims made by officers that he injured himself by running into a wall.
Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, 31, told The Associated Press that ICE agents pulled him from a car outside a St. Paul shopping center on Jan. 8, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, and repeatedly struck his head with a steel baton. He said he was beaten again after being taken to a detention facility. Doctors later diagnosed him with eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages.
ICE officers told hospital staff that Castañeda Mondragón intentionally ran headfirst into a brick wall. Medical professionals disputed that account, saying the injuries were inconsistent with a fall. Use-of-force experts interviewed by AP said striking someone in the head with a baton constitutes potentially lethal force and is justified only in extreme circumstances.
Castañeda Mondragón spent days disoriented at Hennepin County Medical Center under ICE guard. Video posted to social media shows him stumbling while handcuffed during the arrest. A federal judge later ruled his arrest unlawful and ordered his release, noting he had entered the U.S. legally and only later overstayed his visa.
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to repeated requests for comment. Minnesota officials and members of Congress have called for an investigation, while ICE has declined to pursue one. Castañeda Mondragón faces a long recovery and says lingering brain injuries have left him unable to work or care for himself without assistance.
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