Supporters Say Jose Mejia Hernandez Suffered Brain Bleed After ICE Arrest, Ankle Monitor Hindered Medical Care

Virginia's Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has called for an immediate, thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violent August 11 arrest of 45-year-old Jose Mejia Hernandez by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

According to Mejia Hernandez’s attorney, Carlos Jurado, and advocacy groups, while on his way to an Arlington bus stop for work, men aggressively approached Mejia Hernandez, whom he did not initially recognize as immigration officials.

When he tried to flee out of fear, ICE agents chased him, brutally beat him and allegedly struck him in the head with a Taser or stun gun, causing him to lose consciousness.

Mejia Hernandez woke up hours later in a Washington hospital with extensive facial trauma, a broken collarbone, and a life-threatening brain hemorrhage.

His legal team asserts that ICE agents closely guarded him at all times, prevented private communication with doctors, and failed to notify his family of his condition or whereabouts for several days.

After three days, he was discharged, fitted with a GPS ankle monitor and handed a Notice to Appear.

He had to return to the hospital days later when his condition worsened, but the ankle monitor reportedly impeded medical staff from administering needed diagnostic imaging like an MRI.

The incident has escalated into a direct conflict between federal immigration enforcement and local Virginia leadership.

A spokesperson for DHS strongly denied the claims of unnecessary force, labeling the allegations made by Mejia Hernandez and his attorney as "FALSE.”

DHS maintains that agents utilized only the necessary force required to apprehend an individual who attempted to flee.

Commonwealth's Attorney Dehghani-Tafti stated that "no one is above the law — not law enforcement, and not federal officials.”

She has formally requested the Arlington County Police Department and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office to step in and handle the investigation.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) issued a formal warning to Northern Virginia residents following this arrest, noting that his office has received several reports of "unjustified violence" and warrantless detentions by ICE agents over 10 days.

He has urged community members to remain hyper-aware of their constitutional rights.

“I am deeply disturbed by the reports that ICE agents severely injured José Mejía Hernandez. I am committed to upholding the rule of law and holding all individuals who violate it in our community accountable in appropriate ways. No one is above the law, not any individual, not law enforcement, and not federal officials, no one,” the office of the Commonwealth's Attorney for Arlington and the city of Falls Church said in a statement.