ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has called for an immediate investigation into an encounter with federal immigration agents that reportedly left José Mejía Hernandez seriously injured.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington, also said Tuesday that he was seeking more information about what happened to Mejía. The congressman warned that his office had received other reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounters involving alleged violence or apparently warrantless detention across Northern Virginia.
ICE disputed key parts of Mejía's account in a statement provided to Patch. The agency said its officers used necessary force after Mejía tried to flee but denied that he lost consciousness during the encounter.
Mejía, a 45-year-old man from the state of Mexico, told Univision that ICE agents detained him Aug. 11 while he was walking to a bus stop on his way to work in Arlington. He said two vehicles stopped in front of him, prompting him to run because he was afraid.
"I had a problem this Tuesday, when I was on my way to work, and suddenly I saw that two trucks pulled up alongside me in front," Mejía said, according to an AI translation of his Univision interview provided to Patch. "Because of the fear, because of all that, I took off running, and I think I lost consciousness."
Mejía told Univision that agents shot him in the back with a stun gun. He said he later awakened at a Washington hospital, where he remained for three days.
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"When I woke up, I woke up in Washington Hospital, and I'm completely confused, because I don't think these injuries I have are just from the fall I took," Mejía said in the translated interview.
Mejía said hospital staff told him that he had bleeding in his head. He was released Aug. 15 and planned to return to the hospital for another examination, according to Univision.
"I don't know … I'm afraid it could kill me," he said in the translated interview.
After leaving the hospital, Mejía said agents took him to an ICE office and placed an electronic monitor on him. He also said he had a court appearance scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, but did not provide details about the court, his case or the reason for his detention, Univision reported.
Univision said Mejía's account was not accompanied by medical records or an independent account that could immediately corroborate his allegations about the use of force and the cause or severity of his injuries.
ICE said its officers arrested Mejía on Aug. 11 and used necessary force to control the situation after he attempted to flee. According to the agency, officers took him into custody and later brought him to a hospital as a precaution.
The agency described Mejía as a Mexican national who entered the United States illegally in 2006. ICE said officers encountered him that year and that he accepted a voluntary return to Mexico.
ICE said Mejía illegally reentered the country in 2008, although the agency did not provide a date for that entry. It also said he was convicted of public intoxication in Fairfax County in 2020.
After searching Virginia Court documents, Patch was unable to find an arrest or prosecution record in Fairfax County from 2020 that could be definitively linked to Mejía and not someone with a similar name.
Mejía has since been released from ICE custody with GPS monitoring while his removal proceedings remain pending, according to the agency.
"Allegations that he was unconscious and woke up in a hospital bed are FALSE," ICE said. "According to officers, they rendered aide, asked the individual, who was responsive, if he was okay after evading arrest, and followed their training."
ICE also denied preventing Mejía from having the GPS monitor removed for medical care. The agency said he must bring the required paperwork to an ICE field office, where officials can remove the ankle monitor temporarily and install SmartLINK tracking software on his cellphone until the medical procedure is completed. The ankle monitor would then be reattached, according to ICE.
The agency also encouraged immigrants who are in the country illegally to use the CBP Home app to arrange their departure. ICE said the federal government is offering $2,600 and a free flight to people who self-deport. Those who do not leave voluntarily could be arrested and deported without an opportunity to return, the agency said.
ICE's account and Mejía's description do not establish the precise cause of his reported injuries.
Dehghani-Tafti said Tuesday that she contacted the Arlington County Police Department and Virginia Attorney General's Office for assistance. She urged county police to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation.
"I am deeply disturbed by the reports that ICE agents severely injured José Mejía Hernandez," Dehghani-Tafti said in a statement. "I am committed to upholding the rule of law and holding all individuals who violate the law in our community accountable in the appropriate ways."
"No one is above the law — not any individual, not law enforcement, and not federal officials — no one," she added.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office asked anyone who witnessed the incident or has photographs, video or other potential evidence to email CWAtips@arlingtonva.us. People submitting evidence were asked to include their names, addresses and contact information because anonymously submitted evidence may not be admissible in court.
Beyer called Mejía's injuries and his description of the encounter "extremely disturbing."
"It [is] essential to establish the facts in this case, and, if this is another instance of unjustified violence by ICE agents, to hold them accountable," Beyer said.
The congressman said his office had received reports of several other ICE encounters in Northern Virginia during the previous 10 days. Those reports described agents stopping people outside or on streets, requesting identification and sometimes responding with violence when questioned, according to Beyer.
Beyer cited an Aug. 10 encounter involving Carolina Molina, a U.S. citizen and Northern Virginia native, in Bailey's Crossroads. As Patch previously reported, an ICE agent was recorded pointing a firearm at Molina while she was inside her car.
Beyer said agents pointed the gun at Molina because she verbally challenged and recorded them, activities he described as protected by the First Amendment. He said he planned to meet with her to hear her account and discuss possible next steps.
The Department of Homeland Security offered a sharply different account of that encounter. A DHS spokesperson said Molina drove in circles around ICE officers and tried to harm them by using her vehicle as a weapon during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.
Federal officers stopped Molina's vehicle because they feared for their safety, according to DHS. The agency said officers collected information for a background check and that Molina could face criminal prosecution. Its statement did not say she had been arrested or charged.
Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez and the Fairfax County Democratic Committee said Molina's dashcam footage contradicted the federal government's account. The Democratic committee called for a full investigation of the encounter, including the agent's decision to draw a firearm and the conflicting descriptions of Molina's conduct.
Beyer urged Northern Virginia residents to exercise caution during encounters with ICE and to review their constitutional rights.
"Our community is diverse and inclusive, and we must work together to ensure that our neighbors are safe and that peace, law, and order can prevail," Beyer said.
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