1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

**Defund ICE Following Unlawful Detention and Brutal Assault in St. Paul** I am writing to urge you to support defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the brutal assault of Alberto Castañeda Mondragón in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 8. This case exemplifies a pattern of excessive violence and illegal detentions that demands immediate congressional action. ICE agents pulled Castañeda Mondragón from a friend's car outside a shopping center and beat him with fists and a steel baton while he was handcuffed. The assault resulted in eight skull fractures and five brain hemorrhages. The beating was so severe that he now suffers significant memory loss, unable to recall important moments with his daughter, though the violence itself remains vividly imprinted in his memory. A judge has ruled his detention was unlawful, yet no federal investigation into the excessive force has been initiated. This incident reveals fundamental problems with ICE operations. Agents conducted an unlawful detention, used extreme violence against a restrained individual, and caused permanent neurological damage without accountability. The absence of any federal investigation demonstrates that internal oversight mechanisms have failed completely. When a federal agency operates outside the law with impunity, inflicting life-altering injuries on people during illegal arrests, it has lost its legitimacy to function. The severity of Castañeda Mondragón's injuries, eight skull fractures and five brain hemorrhages, reflects a level of brutality that cannot be reformed through policy adjustments or additional training. His memory loss means he has been robbed of his past and his ability to fully remember his relationship with his daughter. I am asking you to support legislation that defunds ICE and reallocates immigration enforcement responsibilities to agencies with proper oversight and accountability structures. Federal agents who operate illegally and violently should not continue receiving taxpayer funding. Please take immediate action to hold ICE accountable by eliminating its budget and creating alternative enforcement mechanisms that respect constitutional rights and human dignity.