Intensive care nurses at a Minneapolis hospital have cast doubt on claims by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that a Mexican immigrant deliberately fractured his skull by running headfirst into a brick wall while handcuffed. Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, 31, was hospitalised at Hennepin County Medical Center with fractures to his face and skull, as well as bleeding throughout his brain.
Three nurses familiar with the case told the Associated Press that the injuries were inconsistent with such a fall. One nurse, speaking anonymously, said: “It was laughable, if there was something to laugh about. There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.” An outside physician also affirmed that the injuries did not match the explanation given by ICE.
ICE’s account of how Castañeda Mondragón was injured evolved over time. Court filings and a staff member reported that at least one ICE officer told caregivers the man “got his (expletive) rocked” after his arrest on 8 January near a St Paul shopping centre. The arrest occurred a day after the first of two fatal shootings by immigration officers in Minneapolis.
The situation escalated when ICE insisted on shackling Castañeda Mondragón’s ankles to his bed, prompting a confrontation with hospital staff. Nurses argued that his disorientation and impulsive behaviour were typical of traumatic brain injury, not an escape attempt. Security, the hospital’s CEO, and a lawyer eventually negotiated a compromise: a nursing assistant would sit with the patient, and the shackles were removed.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment. A deportation officer noted in court documents that during intake at an ICE detention centre, it was determined Castañeda Mondragón “had a head injury that required emergency medical treatment.” His brother said he is from Veracruz, Mexico, worked as a roofer, and has a ten-year-old daughter there.
