Alberto Castañeda Mondragón says a beating by immigration officers in January left him with severe brain injuries and large gaps in his memory — so severe he initially could not recall that he has a daughter. The 31-year-old says the physical trauma from his Jan. 8 arrest in St. Paul is still plainly visible on his battered head.
Castañeda Mondragón recounts that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled him from a friend’s car outside a St. Paul shopping center, threw him to the pavement, handcuffed him, punched him and struck his head with a metal baton. He says he was dragged into an SUV, later taken to the ICE holding facility at Fort Snelling and beaten again there. Medical treatment at hospitals after the incident diagnosed him with eight skull fractures and five brain hemorrhages, injuries providers described as life-threatening.
He told reporters officers began striking him “right away” during the arrest. A CT scan showed fractures at the front, back and both sides of his skull; an examining physician reported that those injuries were inconsistent with a simple fall. Castañeda Mondragón said officers used the same metal rod they had used to break windows on the vehicle — a device he later identified as an ASP telescoping baton. Instructional materials for law enforcement generally permit batons to be used on arms, legs or torso but warn that blows to the head, neck or spine can be deadly and are only permitted in situations that would justify use of a firearm.
At the Fort Snelling facility, he says, the beatings continued. He recalled pleading for them to stop; he said officers laughed and struck him again, and he described their actions as motivated by racism toward immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
In a Jan. 20 federal court declaration, ICE deportation officer William J. Robinson acknowledged that Castañeda Mondragón “had a head injury that required emergency medical treatment” but did not explain how the injuries occurred. Court filings indicate Castañeda Mondragón entered the United States legally in March 2022 and that officials determined after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa. A federal judge later ruled the arrest unlawful and ordered his release.
Hospital staff said officers told nurses the man had “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” an explanation caregivers immediately questioned, according to court records. A bystander video posted to social media — which AP did not publish because the recorder would not be interviewed or give consent — shows four masked men escorting a handcuffed, unsteady Castañeda Mondragón across a parking lot; the recorder shouts warnings and onlookers express concern that the man had been hurt. Castañeda Mondragón confirmed he is the person in that footage.
Court papers and nurse statements say at least one ICE officer later told medical staff that Castañeda Mondragón “got his (expletive) rocked.” Reporters interviewed a hospital doctor and five nurses who described his treatment at Hennepin County Medical Center and the presence of ICE officers in the hospital; those staff spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss patient care and feared retaliation. An outside physician consulted by reporters also concluded the injuries were inconsistent with an accidental fall or running into a wall.
Minnesota law requires health professionals to report wounds that could be related to crimes. An HCMC spokeswoman declined to say whether hospital staff filed such a report. After an earlier news story about the arrest, hospital administrators opened an internal inquiry to identify which staff members had spoken with the media, according to internal communications reviewed by reporters.
The arrest and injuries occurred one day after the first of two fatal shootings in Minneapolis involving immigration officers, events that prompted widespread protests. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz shared reporting on Castañeda Mondragón’s case and called for change, saying aggressive, inadequately trained federal agents continue to injure and terrorize Minnesotans. Local elected officials, Minnesota congressional leaders and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and others have demanded an investigation and answers. The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office urged Castañeda Mondragón to file a police report; a St. Paul police spokesperson said the department would investigate any alleged crimes reported to them. Several members of Congress and local officials contrasted demands for accountability in this case with how other law-enforcement misconduct has been handled.
A native of Veracruz, Mexico, Castañeda Mondragón came to Minnesota nearly four years ago on a temporary work visa. He worked as a driver and roofer, sending earnings home to support his disabled, diabetic father and his 10-year-old daughter. He has no criminal record.
On the day of his arrest he was running errands with a friend when ICE agents surrounded the vehicle, broke its windows and opened doors. He says the first officer to strike him targeted him for being Mexican and for not having immigration paperwork. About four hours after his arrest he was taken to an Edina emergency room with swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding; he was then transferred to HCMC, where he told staff he had been dragged and mistreated by federal agents.
A week into his hospitalization he was minimally responsive. As he began to recover, staff gave him his cellphone and he spoke with his daughter — a call in which she had to remind him of basic memories, including the night he taught her to dance when she was 5. Castañeda Mondragón says many memories have been erased by his head injuries.
He was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 27 but faces a lengthy recovery. In addition to memory loss, he has balance and coordination problems that may prevent him from returning to roofing work; he said he cannot bathe without assistance. Without health insurance, he has been told he needs ongoing care. Unable to work, he is relying on coworkers and local community members who have raised funds for his food, housing and medical needs; he has also launched a GoFundMe campaign.
Despite the trauma, Castañeda Mondragón said he hopes to remain in the United States and to provide for his family again. He said he feels welcomed by the Minnesota community but lives in constant fear that ICE could return. He described being terrified to leave his apartment, anxious about being stopped while going to work or buying food. “You’re left with the nightmare of going to work and being stopped,” he said. “They hit you.”