Virginia Man Says ICE Arrest Left Him With Brain Bleed and No Path to Treatment

A Morning Walk to Work Ends in the Hospital

Jose Mejia Hernandez, known as Don José and described as a 45-year-old man who had lived in the United States for nearly two decades, says his ordeal began at roughly 6:30 a.m. on August 11 in Arlington, Virginia, when he was walking to work. He said he was carrying an umbrella because of rain when two trucks stopped near him. Terrified, he began to flee, was shocked with a Taser, lost consciousness, and later awoke in a Washington hospital with facial injuries and a brain bleed.

Mejia Hernandez was left unable to properly explain what happened to him because he has no memory of the confrontation that left him with facial injuries, brain swelling, and internal bleeding. He told Univision he cannot explain why the agents became aggressive, only that he ended up with black eyes, heavy bruising, cuts, and seven stitches on his lip. According to his attorney, he was not given a private opportunity to speak with his doctors. A nurse eventually told him quietly in Spanish that he had suffered a brain bleed and brain swelling.

A GPS Ankle Monitor Blocks the MRI He Needs

A Virginia man who suffered a brain bleed and other serious injuries after being apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is unable to undergo an MRI because ICE hasn't removed a GPS ankle monitor that interferes with the procedure, according to his attorney. The monitoring device became an unexpected obstacle when his neurological symptoms worsened. By the following Friday, Mejia Hernandez was feeling substantially worse and returned to the hospital, where doctors again identified a traumatic brain injury and brain bleeding, and he remained hospitalized for another two days.

On August 17, Mejia Hernandez attended an immigration 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, officials 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. In practice, his legal team describes a bureaucratic back-and-forth that has delayed critical imaging while he continues to report headaches, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating.

ICE and DHS Push Back on the Account

DHS issued a statement saying: "On August 11, 2026, ICE arrested Jose Mejia Hernandez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico. During the arrest, he attempted to flee from the scene requiring ICE to use necessary force to gain control of the situation." A DHS spokesperson also stated that "allegations that he was unconscious and woke up in a hospital bed are FALSE." DHS further disputes the medical access characterization, saying procedures already exist to temporarily replace an ankle monitor with phone-based tracking technology while medical procedures are completed.

According to DHS, Mejia Hernandez first entered the United States illegally in 2006 and accepted voluntary return to Mexico after being encountered by authorities. The department said he reentered the country unlawfully in 2008 and was convicted of public intoxication in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 2020. His attorney, however, has portrayed him as a longtime resident and family man who had been living and working in Virginia for years before the arrest. The situation was made even more difficult because his wife and stepchild reportedly did not know where he was for around three days.

A Broader Pattern Under Scrutiny

Speaking to N+ Univision in Washington, D.C., Mejia Hernandez said he had lost his job as a result of the injuries. "It's not to take advantage of the situation, but I've lost my job. Because of the problem I have in my head, I don't know until when I will start working again," he told the outlet in Spanish. His story has circulated widely on TikTok, X, and Facebook, where users have condemned the use of force and the delay in medical care.

The dispute comes as immigration enforcement operations have become an increasingly contentious political and legal issue during President Donald Trump's second term. The case of Mejia Hernandez raises questions that extend well beyond one man's injuries — namely, what medical rights detainees retain during and after an enforcement encounter, and who bears responsibility when bureaucratic procedures delay urgent care. With his MRI still pending and his symptoms ongoing, the answers to those questions may ultimately be decided in court.