A US citizen of Mexican descent has been left with eight broken bones and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages after a violent arrest by immigration officers in Minnesota. Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, who came to the US on a temporary visa nearly four years ago, was detained while running errands with a friend.
The incident took place on January 8 outside a shopping center in St Paul. ICE agents allegedly pulled him from the car, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, and then punched him repeatedly before hitting his head with a metal baton, which is not typically used for such purposes.
Despite entering the country legally in March 2022, Castañeda Mondragón was deemed an overstayer after his arrest. However, a federal judge later ruled that his detention was unlawful and ordered him released from ICE custody.
Castañeda Mondragón has been struggling to recall memories of his life in the US, including those with his 10-year-old daughter, whom he can no longer remember due to severe head injuries. His family relies on him for support, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to continue working and earning a living.
The incident highlights ongoing issues with ICE operations in Minnesota, which has sparked calls for greater accountability from state officials and elected representatives. While the Trump administration claims that ICE limits its operations to immigrants with violent rap sheets, Castañeda Mondragón does not have such a record.
In response to widespread public protests following two fatal shootings of US citizens by immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted on X, saying "Law enforcement cannot be lawless." Thousands of aggressive and untrained agents from the federal government continue to injure and terrorize Minnesotans, according to Walz.
Castañeda Mondragón's case is a stark example of how immigration detainees can suffer at the hands of ICE officers. His arrest was caught on video, showing him stumbling and being dragged away by agents. The incident has raised questions about the use of excessive force by federal law enforcement agencies in Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, has declined to comment on Castañeda Mondragón's injuries despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.
The incident took place on January 8 outside a shopping center in St Paul. ICE agents allegedly pulled him from the car, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, and then punched him repeatedly before hitting his head with a metal baton, which is not typically used for such purposes.
Despite entering the country legally in March 2022, Castañeda Mondragón was deemed an overstayer after his arrest. However, a federal judge later ruled that his detention was unlawful and ordered him released from ICE custody.
Castañeda Mondragón has been struggling to recall memories of his life in the US, including those with his 10-year-old daughter, whom he can no longer remember due to severe head injuries. His family relies on him for support, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to continue working and earning a living.
The incident highlights ongoing issues with ICE operations in Minnesota, which has sparked calls for greater accountability from state officials and elected representatives. While the Trump administration claims that ICE limits its operations to immigrants with violent rap sheets, Castañeda Mondragón does not have such a record.
In response to widespread public protests following two fatal shootings of US citizens by immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted on X, saying "Law enforcement cannot be lawless." Thousands of aggressive and untrained agents from the federal government continue to injure and terrorize Minnesotans, according to Walz.
Castañeda Mondragón's case is a stark example of how immigration detainees can suffer at the hands of ICE officers. His arrest was caught on video, showing him stumbling and being dragged away by agents. The incident has raised questions about the use of excessive force by federal law enforcement agencies in Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, has declined to comment on Castañeda Mondragón's injuries despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.
this is just heartbreaking what happened 2 Alberto Castañeda Mondragón he went 2 the US on a temp visa & everything was fine but then ICE comes out of nowhere hits him w/ a metal baton & now he's struggling 2 remember his own daughter 
it's like they're more concerned w/ following rules than human life. u need 2 wonder how many other people have suffered at the hands of these agents. minnesota gov Tim Walz might say law enforcement can't be lawless but what does that even mean? 
... we need to see real accountability from the state officials and elected reps in Minnesota, they can't just stand by and let this kind of abuse happen.
and it's not like this was preventable, if the authorities were more careful, maybe things wouldn't have gone down like that. the governor's statement is all well and good but what about the people who are getting hurt on a daily basis? we need to find a way to address these issues without turning on each other 
. I mean, he was already an overstayer and had been living in the US for four years, so maybe he was just lucky to be in a situation where he got caught. And yeah, maybe ICE agents are being a bit heavy-handed, but who doesn't like a good fight every now and then? It's not like they're trying to hurt anyone on purpose... probably just a case of someone getting a little too big for their britches 
.
