St. Paul police investigating arrest by federal agents of man who suffered life-threatening skull fracture

St. Paul police are investigating the circumstances behind life-threatening skull fractures and brain hemorrhages sustained by a Latino man as he was taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last month.

The federal agents alleged that the man injured himself by running headfirst into a brick wall in the Jan. 8 encounter at the peak of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

But the injured man, Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 2022 on a work visa, told the Associated Press that his injuries resulted from an unprovoked beating by the agents.

Castañeda Mondragón said the agents wrestled him from a vehicle, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, punched him and struck him in the head with a steel baton.

He declined an interview request from the Minnesota Star Tribune on Friday. He said through lawyers that he wanted privacy as he recovers and navigates his ongoing immigration issues.

“We are aware there are ongoing investigations and we trust that the authorities will fully investigate the incident that led to Mr. Castañeda Mondragón’s serious injuries,” his lawyers said in a statement.

St. Paul police did not provide any details of their investigation. They said in an email only that a police report had been filed and that “we cannot comment further” due to it being an open investigation.

City police and the FBI last week canvassed the shopping center where Castañeda Mondragón was detained, the Associated Press reported.

The FBI declined to comment in an email to the Star Tribune, as did the U.S. Department of Justice.

While his habeas case is closed, Castañeda Mondragón still faces deportation proceededing, according to his attorneys.

Castañeda Mondragón was detained by agents near an unspecified shopping center in St. Paul, according to an order filed by U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank.

His lawyers said the detainment was “solely due to his skin color, perceived ethnicity, and/or spoken language,” and without previously knowing his immigration status or identity.

While there, agents recognized he needed emergency hospital treatment, an ICE officer said in a court filing, and he was taken to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. A CT scan found Castañeda Mondragón had suffered severe head injuries.

He was then transferred to HCMC, where his condition declined and he had difficulty communicating verbally with hospital staff, the judge wrote.

Castañeda Mondragón told hospital staff that he was “dragged and mistreated” by agents.

During his recovery in the hospital, Frank wrote, agents “have largely refused to provide information” to the staff and attorneys about the cause of the injuries. Agents did not say more than that the detainee “got his shit rocked” and that he ran into a wall, the judge added.

During his hospital stay, agents “refused to leave the hospital” and required Castañeda Mondragón to be shackled at the legs with handcuffs despite the concerns from hospital staff, Frank said.

On Jan. 23, Frank approved Castañeda Mondragón’s petition and ordered he be released from custody. The judge said he had been unlawfully detained in violation of the Constitution.