ICE agent encounter leaves Mexican immigrant with brain injury

Jose Mejia Hernandez, a 45-year-old Mexican immigrant, alleges he was violently apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Arlington, Virginia, on August 11.

Mejia Hernandez claims that while heading to work, agents approached him in two vans. When he attempted to run, an agent fired a Taser into his back, causing him to lose consciousness. He was hospitalized for three days with injuries including facial cuts requiring seven stitches, heavy bruising, and a traumatic brain injury involving a brain hemorrhage.

His attorney, Carlos Jurado, reports that doctors have ordered an MRI to assess the extent of the brain bleeding and swelling. However, the GPS ankle monitor placed on Mejia Hernandez by authorities is preventing him from undergoing the scan. A request to temporarily remove the device at an immigration office in Annandale was denied, with officials requiring a confirmed appointment time before considering removal.