FBI and Minnesota police investigate ICE arrest that left man with broken skull | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Minnesota and federal authorities are investigating the alleged beating of a Mexican national by immigration officers last month and trying to determine what caused the man to suffer eight skull fractures that landed him in the intensive care unit of a Minneapolis hospital.
Last week, investigators from the St. Paul police department and the FBI searched the mall parking lot where Alberto Castañeda Mondragón said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took him from a vehicle, threw him to the ground and repeatedly hit him in the head with a steel baton.
ICE blamed Castañeda Mondragón for her own injuries, saying she tried to escape while handcuffed and “fell and hit her head on the concrete wall.”
But hospital staff treating the man told The Associated Press that such a fall could not reasonably explain the man’s brain hemorrhage and fragmented memory. A computed tomography scan showed fractures on the front, back and both sides of the skull; The doctor told the AP that these injuries were not consistent with a fall.
Earlier this month, the AP published an interview in which Castañeda Mondragón said the arresting police officers were “racists” and “started beating me right after they arrested me.” His lawyers claimed ICE racially profiled him.
During separate visits to the mall last week, local and federal investigators requested surveillance footage from at least two businesses; Employees of those businesses told the AP that their cameras either did not record the Jan. 8 arrest or the footage was overwritten because more than a month passed before law enforcement requested the video.
Johnny Ratana, owner of Teepwo Market, an Asian grocer across the parking lot from where the arrest occurred, said St. Paul police have sent inspectors to the business twice in recent days. The second time, he said, a data technician tried to automatically recover overwritten images after 30 days.
Ratana said that FBI agents interested in the same images also visited him.
The St. Paul police department did not respond to requests for comment. The FBI declined to comment.
The investigations come amid another federal investigation into whether two ICE officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis. Federal prosecutors dropped charges against two Venezuelan men accused of attacking a police officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle after video evidence contradicted the officers’ sworn statements.
Meanwhile, the FBI notified Minnesota authorities last week that it would not share any information or evidence it had collected regarding the Jan. 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officials. This murder is the subject of a Justice Department civil rights investigation.
For weeks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security refused to discuss anything related to Castañeda Mondragón’s injuries. He did not answer detailed questions from the AP, including whether his officers recorded body-worn camera footage during the arrest.
But the agency last week doubled down on its claim that Castañeda Mondragón injured himself.
“On January 8, 2026, ICE conducted a targeted enforcement operation to arrest Alberto Castaneda Mondragon, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Mexico who had overstayed his visa,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs. “While handcuffed, Castaneda attempted to escape custody and ran towards the main highway. While running, Castaneda fell and hit his head on a concrete wall.”
McLaughlin’s claim that Castañeda Mondragón was targeted for deportation was contradicted by ICE’s Jan. 20 court filing, in which officers found the man had overstayed his work visa only after being detained. McLaughlin did not respond to questions about which account was correct.
Castañeda Mondragón’s lawyers declined to comment on ICE’s statement.
Although many elected officials demand answers, criminal investigations can be complicated by the time it takes for law enforcement to review an arrest.
St. Paul police told the AP on Feb. 5 that it was aware of “serious allegations” related to the arrest but could not begin investigating Castañeda Mondragón’s injuries until she reported to police; The move had been delayed by weeks due to the man’s hospitalization and uncertainty about his immigration status. Police finally took his statement at the Mexican consulate a week ago.
At least one nearby business had overwritten security camera footage at this point.
“I expect we will investigate past and future allegations of criminal conduct by federal agents to seek the truth and hold accountable anyone who violates Minnesota law,” Ramsey County District Attorney John Choi said in a statement.
Castañeda Mondragón was summoned to meet with ICE at its main detention facility in Minneapolis on February 23; This raises the possibility that he could be detained and deported again.
