Lawyer Says ICE Detainee Suffered Brain Bleed After Violent Apprehension, Was Guarded by Agents Instead of Given Private Medical Care
Aaron Parnas
Mon, August 17, 2026
Lawyer Says ICE Detainee Suffered Brain Bleed After Violent Apprehension, Was Guarded by Agents Instead of Given Private Medical Care
Jose Mejia Hernandez was violently apprehended by immigration authorities, sustained significant facial injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, and was hospitalized with a brain bleed and swelling, all while under constant ICE surveillance and limited communication with medical staff.
MeidasTouch has obtained a detailed narrative from the attorney representing Jose Mejia Hernandez, describing a violent apprehension by immigration authorities, a resulting brain injury, and what his lawyer characterizes as a hospitalization marked by constant ICE surveillance, limited communication with his own doctors, and days of silence to his family about his whereabouts.
According to the account provided by his attorney, the incident began on the morning of August 11, at approximately 6:30 a.m., as Mejia Hernandez was walking to work. A truck rapidly approached him, and two men got out and ran toward him. Frightened and unsure who they were or what they wanted, he ran. While fleeing, he says he was struck with what he believes was a stun gun or Taser. He has no memory of what happened next, including how he sustained his injuries, how he was transported, or how he ended up at a hospital. He says he next recalls waking up many hours later.
Significant Injuries, Constant ICE Presence
When he regained consciousness, Mejia Hernandez discovered significant facial injuries consistent with blunt force trauma that he has no memory of sustaining. Throughout his hospitalization, his attorney says two ICE agents remained at his bedside at all times, and he was never given a private opportunity to speak with his medical providers.
When he asked the agents what had happened to him, they told him they did not know. His attempts to get information from hospital staff, according to his lawyer, were met with limited answers, and staff appeared reluctant to speak openly with the agents present. He says he came to believe that medical staff were communicating more with the ICE officers than with him, leaving him largely in the dark about his own condition.
A nurse eventually told him quietly, in Spanish, that he had suffered a brain bleed and that there was swelling in his brain. But according to his attorney, he was never given a full explanation of his diagnosis, his treatment, or how the injuries occurred, and he remained largely uninformed about the severity of his condition while under continuous guard.
Family Left in the Dark for Days
For approximately three days, Mejia Hernandez's wife and stepchild had no idea where he was. Neither DHS nor the hospital, to his knowledge, ever notified his family that he had been detained, injured, or hospitalized.
Released Without Understanding What Happened to Him
When ICE officers determined he was to be discharged, his attorney says Mejia Hernandez himself did not understand he was actually being released. He was transported from the hospital, offered food and drink, and told to contact his family. From there he was taken to an ICE office, fitted with a GPS ankle monitor, and issued immigration paperwork, including a Notice to Appear, with instructions to report to ISAP the following Monday. At the time of his discharge, he still did not understand the full extent of his injuries or what had happened to him before he woke up in the hospital.
Back in the Hospital Within Days
By Friday, he felt significantly worse and returned to the hospital, still concerned about the brain bleed and swelling the nurse had described. He was again diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and brain bleed and remained hospitalized for approximately two more days. His attorney says physicians were unable to complete necessary imaging because of the GPS ankle monitor. He was discharged Sunday but still required further evaluation, including an MRI.
A Monitor Standing Between Him and Medical Care
On August 17, Mejia Hernandez attended an ISAP appointment accompanied by counsel, still experiencing pain, dizziness, and headaches. Medical documentation indicated he needed an MRI, and his attorney requested removal of the GPS monitor to allow for imaging. According to the account, ISAP refused to remove the monitor unless a specific MRI appointment date and time was provided, a requirement that forced him to return to the hospital just to schedule the appointment before the monitor could even come off.
The result has been a cycle of back-and-forth between medical facilities and immigration offices while he continues to suffer symptoms of a traumatic brain injury and brain bleed. An MRI was ultimately scheduled for August 18 at 7:00 p.m., with Mejia Hernandez required to return to ISAP earlier that day to have the monitor removed, then return to the hospital for imaging, then have the monitor reattached afterward.
What Remains Unknown
According to his attorney, significant questions remain unanswered. Mejia Hernandez does not know what happened between the moment he was incapacitated and when he regained consciousness. He does not know how his injuries were sustained or what force, if any, was used against him. His family was not informed of his whereabouts for roughly three days. Throughout his hospitalization, ICE agents remained continuously at his bedside, which he believes limited his ability to speak privately with medical staff, and he believes hospital personnel communicated more with the agents than with him directly. He was discharged without a full explanation of his condition, only to require readmission for the same injuries days later, and he continues to face obstacles obtaining diagnostic imaging because of the monitoring requirements imposed on him.
Attorney Demands Full Accounting, Evidence Preservation
His attorney is now formally requesting a complete accounting of Mejia Hernandez's apprehension, injuries, medical treatment, and custody, including the identification of everyone involved, any use of force, transport details, communications between medical staff and ICE, ICE's role in his medical decisions, and the reasons his family was not notified. The attorney is also demanding preservation of all relevant evidence, including reports, recordings, communications, medical records, custody logs, and ICE assignment records.
His attorney says Mejia Hernandez requires immediate access to necessary medical care without interference from monitoring requirements, given that his condition involves a serious neurological injury requiring timely diagnostic evaluation. His attorney says he and his family deserve full transparency about what happened to him, how his injuries were sustained, and how his medical care was managed while he was in custody.
This story was originally published by MeidasTouch on Aug 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add MeidasTouch as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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