"Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and "purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall," according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release. But staff members at Hennepin County Medical Center determined that could not possibly account for the fractures and bleeding throughout the 31-year-old's brain, said three nurses familiar with the case. "It was laughable, if there was something to laugh about," said one of the nurses, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss patient care. "There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.""
"The explanation from ICE is an example of recent run-ins between immigration officers and health care workers that have contributed to mounting friction at Minneapolis hospitals. Workers at the Hennepin County facility say ICE officers have restrained patients in defiance of hospital rules and stayed at their sides for days. Since the start of Operation Metro Surge, President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, ICE officers have become such a fixture at the hospital that administrators issued new protocols"
Intensive care nurses doubted ICE officers' account after a Mexican immigrant arrived with broken facial bones, skull fractures, and bleeding throughout his brain. ICE agents claimed the detainee tried to flee while handcuffed and "purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall," a claim medical staff said could not explain the injuries. Nurses described the explanation as laughable. Hospital workers report ICE restraining patients contrary to hospital rules, staying at patients' sides for days, lingering on campus, and pressing people for proof of citizenship. Administrators issued new protocols after Operation Metro Surge increased ICE presence.
Read at ABC7 Chicago
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