Minneapolis Hospital Incident Raises Concerns Over ICE Practices

Tue Feb 03 2026 17:47:25 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Nurses at Hennepin County Medical Center dispute ICE's account of an injured immigrant's condition after he was apprehended, citing concerns over patient care and aggressive immigration tactics.

Intensive care nurses at a Minneapolis hospital challenge the account given by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the injuries sustained by Alberto Castañeda Mondragón. The 31-year-old Mexican immigrant was brought to Hennepin County Medical Center with critical head injuries, and medical staff assert that his condition cannot be attributed to ICE's explanation of fleeing or running into a wall. The presence and conduct of ICE officers in healthcare settings have become a point of contention, leading to hospital protocol changes and heightened anxiety among medical staff.

In a distressing incident at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, intensive care nurses harbored immediate doubts about the narrative provided by federal immigration officers regarding the condition of a Mexican immigrant, Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, who presented with severe facial and skull injuries.

ICE officers initially claimed that Castañeda Mondragón had attempted to escape while handcuffed, allegedly running headfirst into a brick wall. However, medical staff assert that this explanation is absurd, as his injuries were consistent with far more serious violence. As one nurse remarked, There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.

The account by ICE represents a troubling trend of increasing friction between immigration enforcement agents and healthcare workers in Minneapolis. Nurses report that ICE has enforced patient restraints in violation of hospital policy and has often lingered around the medical facility, pressing staff and patients for proof of citizenship.

Since the initiation of Operation Metro Surge, part of President Trump's immigration enforcement measures in Minnesota, there has been a marked increase in the presence of ICE in and around healthcare facilities. The hospital has had to set new protocols on how staff should interact with ICE agents, amid fears that their presence is intimidating hospital employees to the point of avoiding necessary interactions entirely.

Medical professionals have reported feeling uncomfortable and concerned over the armed ICE officers they believe exhibit a lack of training and respect for medical protocols. Emergency room staff shared that there's been a shift in communication methods to encrypted platforms to prevent eavesdropping, reflecting a growing atmosphere of mistrust.

Furthermore, staffing challenges emerged as the management scrambled to address an ICE officer's insistence on shackling the patient to his hospital bed. Staff ultimately reached a compromise to allow a nurse to monitor Castañeda Mondragón instead of utilizing physical restraints.

Legal counsel for the immigrant highlighted a troubling element of racial profiling, claiming that Castañeda Mondragón was unjustly targeted based solely on his appearance and location, despite being in the U.S. with valid immigration documents since 2022. The Vice President of the Hennepin County Adult Representation Services, who filed the lawsuit on his behalf, noted that the rule of law must protect everyone within the U.S., including those from ICE.

After prolonged medical treatment and legal advocacy, a U.S. District Court judge ordered Castañeda Mondragón's release from ICE custody, allowing him to leave the hospital. His brother expressed concern about the lasting impact of his injuries, emphasizing that the traumatic experience has overshadowed any positive associations with the United States for his brother, who is now challenged by severe memory loss and a difficult path to recovery.