ICE claim that man shattered his skull running into wall triggers tension at Minnesota hospital

Tensions rise at a Minnesota hospital as ICE's account of a detainee's severe injuries is disputed by medical staff.

Intensive care nurses immediately doubted the word of federal immigration officers when they arrived at a Minneapolis hospital with a Mexican immigrant who had broken bones in his face and skull.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents initially claimed Alberto Castaneda Mondragon 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 Centre determined that it could not possibly account for the fractures and bleeding throughout the 31-year-old's brain, said three nurses familiar with the case.

“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. The agents have also lingered around the campus and pressed people for proof of citizenship.

Since the start of Operation Metro Surge, U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, ICE officers have become such a fixture at the hospital that administrators issued new protocols for how employees should engage with them. Some employees complain that they have been intimidated to the point that they avoid crossing paths with agents while at work and use encrypted communications to guard against any electronic eavesdropping.

Similar operations have been carried out by federal agents in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities, where opponents have criticised what they say are overly aggressive tactics. It's not clear how many people have required hospital care while in detention.