GEORGIA.- A 37-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant ended up hospitalized and had to undergo surgery after being injured during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Lawrenceville, Georgia, after, according to his family, he fled after believing that the men who appeared in front of his home at dawn were criminals.
Jeyner Méndez-Rosales was leaving his house around 4:00 in the morning on August 31 to go to work when he was surprised by ICE agents who, according to his family, were hiding in some bushes near the house.
Seeing the men appear in the middle of the darkness, the Nicaraguan began to run. His family maintains that he did not know that they were federal agents and that he thought he might be the victim of an assault.
“We are demanding that they explain to us what happened. He made the mistake of running away because they were hiding and came out of surprise at 4 in the morning. I didn’t know if they were thieves,” according to the version of a relative of Méndez-Rosales, who asked to keep his identity confidential for fear of reprisals.
The chase ended with several injuries
According to Méndez-Rosales’ story transmitted by those close to him, during the chase he was knocked down by one of the agents and later received blows while he was on the ground, in the middle of a struggle.
The family assures that the detainee suffered a broken rib, an arm and a toe, in addition to a dislocation in one of his shoulders and multiple bruises in different parts of the body. One of the fractures required surgical intervention.
Méndez-Rosales was taken several hours after his arrest to Grady Memorial Hospital after complaining of pain, according to his relatives, who were able to see him briefly while he remained hospitalized.
The family maintains that the injuries were the result of the struggle with the agents and rejects that they were caused solely by a fall.
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offered a different version and denied that the agents had hit the immigrant.
Exhaust
An agency spokesperson confirmed that Méndez-Rosales was detained during an ICE operation in Lawrenceville and said he tried to escape.
“Méndez-Rosales attempted to flee; in the process, he tripped on a cement step and injured his shoulder. He suffered no other injuries during the arrest,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement sent to the media.
The agency said the immigrant was taken to a hospital after complaining of shoulder pain.
DHS maintains there is a deportation order
The DHS also indicated that Méndez-Rosales will remain “in ICE custody pending his removal.”
The family, which questions both the circumstances of the arrest and the official version of the injuries, assures that the Nicaraguan has no criminal record and that he believed he was legally in the United States.
Those close to him showed photographs of personal documents, including a Georgia driver’s license valid until 2029.
“They (ICE) say that he has a deportation order, despite having all the papers in order. He was not informed. We were not aware of that because he did not receive any letter nor did he receive any type of notification,” said the relative.
According to the DHS, Méndez-Rosales’ immigration status dates back to December 10, 2022, when he was detained by the Border Patrol after illegally entering the United States near El Paso, Texas.
He was later released during the administration of then-President Joe Biden.
According to the agency, on May 15, an immigration judge issued a final order of removal against him after Méndez-Rosales failed to appear for an immigration hearing.
Family announces legal action
The Nicaraguan’s relatives announced that they will hire a lawyer to review the case and question both the detention and the circumstances in which he was injured.
The family also shared photographs and a video showing Méndez-Rosales in custody at the hospital.
