Minneapolis — Intensive care nurses immediately doubted the words of federal immigration officers when they arrived Minneapolis Hospital with a Mexican immigrant who suffered fractures in his face and skull.
Immigration and customs agents He initially claimed that Alberto Castañeda Mondragon tried to escape while handcuffed and “intentionally ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release.
But staff at Hennepin County Medical Center decided that could not explain the fractures and bleeding throughout the 31-year-old man’s brain, three nurses familiar with the case said.
“It was funny, if there was anything to laugh about,” one nurse said. He spoke to the Associated Press On condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss patient care. “There was no way this person was going to hit the wall.”
The explanation provided by ICE is an example of recent disagreements between immigration officials and Health care workers Which contributed to escalating friction in Minneapolis hospitals. Workers at the Hennepin County facility say ICE officers restrained patients in defiance of hospital rules and remained at their side for days. Agents were also present around campus and pressured people to prove their citizenship.
Since the beginning Metro surge operationWith President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration in Minnesota, ICE officers have become such a fixture at the hospital that officials have issued new protocols for how employees interact with them. Some employees complain of being intimidated to the point that they avoid crossing paths with customers while working and use encrypted communications to protect against electronic eavesdropping.
Similar operations It was carried out by federal agents in Los Angeles, chicago And other cities, where opponents have criticized what they say are overly aggressive tactics. It is not clear how many people required hospital care while in detention.
The Associated Press interviewed a doctor and five nurses who work at HCMC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about Castañeda-Mondragón’s case. The Associated Press also consulted an outside doctor, and they all confirmed that his injuries were not consistent with an accidental fall or collision with a wall.
ICE’s account of how he was injured evolved during the time federal officers were at his bedside. At least one ICE officer told caregivers that Castañeda Mondragon “went into shock” after his Jan. 8 arrest near the St. Paul Mall, court filings and a hospital worker said. He was arrested one day later the first to Two fatal shootings In Minneapolis by immigration officers.
The situation came to a head when ICE insisted on using handcuffs to restrain his ankles to the bed, leading to a heated confrontation with hospital staff, according to court records and hospital staff familiar with the incident.
One of the nurses said that at the time, Castañeda-Mondragon was so disoriented that she did not know what year it was and could not remember how he had been infected. ICE officers believed he was trying to escape after he got up and took a few steps.
“We were basically trying to explain to ICE that this is what someone with a traumatic brain injury is like — they’re impulsive,” the nurse said. “We didn’t think he was running for the door.”
Security responded to the scene, followed by the hospital CEO and an attorney, who met in the doctor’s office to discuss options for dealing with ICE, the nurse said.
“We eventually agreed with ICE to have a nursing assistant sit with the patient to prevent them from leaving,” the nurse said. “They agreed shortly to remove the shackles.”
the Department of Homeland SecurityICE, which includes ICE, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Castañeda-Mondragón’s injuries. The deportation officer sidestepped the issue in court documents, saying that during the admission process to an ICE detention center, it was determined that he “had a head injury that required emergency medical treatment.”
Gregorio Castañeda Mondragón said his older brother is from Veracruz, Mexico, and was a roofer. He has a 10-year-old daughter who lives in his hometown and helps support her.
According to his lawyer, Alberto Castañeda Mondragón entered the United States in 2022 with valid immigration documents. Minnesota incorporation filings show he founded a company called Castañeda Mondragón the following year with a listed address in St. Paul.
He appears to have no criminal record. His lawyers told the court that Castañeda Mondragon had been subjected to racial discrimination during the crackdown, and that officers had only determined after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa.
“He was a dark-skinned, Hispanic-speaking Hispanic in a place where immigration agents arbitrarily decided to target him,” his attorneys wrote in a petition seeking his release from ICE custody.
Castañeda Mondragón was initially taken to an ICE processing center on the edge of Minneapolis. Court records include an arrest warrant signed upon arrival by an ICE officer, not an immigration judge.
About four hours after his arrest, he was taken to the emergency room of a hospital in suburban Edina, suffering from swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding. A CT scan revealed at least eight skull fractures and life-threatening bleeding in at least five areas of his brain, according to court documents. He was then transferred to HCMC.
Castañeda-Mondragon was alert and talking, and told staff that he was “dragged and abused by federal agents,” although his condition rapidly deteriorated, documents showed.
The following week, a January 16 court filing described his condition as unresponsive, persistent, disoriented, and heavily sedated.
The Associated Press shared details of Castaneda Mondragon’s injuries with Dr. Lindsey C. Thomas, a certified forensic pathologist who has worked as a medical examiner in Minnesota for more than 30 years. She agreed with the hospital staff’s evaluation.
“I’m pretty sure no one could have that kind of severe injury from hitting the wall,” Thomas said, adding that she would need to see a CT scan to make a more definitive conclusion.
“I think one does not have to be a doctor to conclude that a person cannot sustain skull fractures on the right and left sides of their head and from front to back by hitting themselves against a wall,” she said.
ICE officers hospitalized with seriously injured detainees and stayed by their families day after day, ICE workers said. Repression It was troubling to hospital staff, who said ICE agents were seen loitering on hospital grounds and asking patients and staff for proof of citizenship.
Hospital staff said they felt uncomfortable around armed agents who they did not trust and who appeared to be untrained.
Nurses interviewed by the AP said they felt intimidated by the presence of ICE in the critical care unit, and were told to avoid a certain bathroom to reduce confrontations with officers. They said employees were using an encrypted messaging app to compare notes and share information for fear the government would monitor their communications.
The hospital reminded staff that ICE officers are not permitted to access patients or protected information without a warrant or court order.
“Patients in federal custody are first and foremost patients,” hospital officials wrote in a bulletin outlining the new protocols. The hospital’s written policy also states that shackles or other restraints should not be used unless medically necessary.
“We have our policies, but ICE employees as federal officials don’t necessarily adhere to those policies, and that causes stress,” said a doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on behalf of the hospital.
ICE agents “did not enter our facilities looking for individuals,” hospital spokeswoman Alyssa Harris said.
On Saturday, more than two weeks after Castañeda-Mondragon was arrested, a U.S. District Court judge ordered his release from ICE custody.
“We are encouraged by the court’s order, which affirms that the rule of law applies to all people, in every corner of our country, including federal officers,” said Janet Boerner, director of Hennepin County Adult Representation Services, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Castaneda Mondragon.
To the surprise of some who treated him, Castañeda Mondragón was released from the hospital on Tuesday. A hospital spokeswoman said she had no information about him.
The Justice Department filed court documents this week confirming that Castañeda Mondragón is no longer in custody. The prosecution did not respond to a request for comment on the man’s injuries.
The man’s brother said Castañeda-Mondragon had no family in Minnesota and was taken in by co-workers. He has significant memory loss and has a long recovery ahead of him. 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 the things that happened,” said Gregorio Castañeda Mondragon, who lives in Mexico. “I think he remembers 20% of the 100% he had.” “It’s sad that instead of having good memories of the United States, you get a bad taste in your mouth about this country because they treat them like animals,” he added.
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Mustan reported from New York, and Besecker reported from Washington.
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Associated Press reporters Steve Karnovsky and Sarah Reda in Minneapolis, Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, and Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed.