A 45-year-old Mexican man is speaking out after an alleged encounter with ICE agents in Arlington, Virginia, left him unconscious and badly injured.
José Mejía has lived in the U.S. for 18 years. According to an X post by @LongTimeHistory, he was walking to work on August 11, 2026, when two vehicles approached the path where he was walking.
Mejía says he became scared and tried to run away, but federal agents chased him and used a Taser on him. He says the Taser struck him before he fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
A video shared in the X post shows Mejía standing outside as his face has visible bruising, swelling, black eyes, and cuts. He also has stitches on his lip.
Mejía can be seen wearing a black polo shirt and an ankle monitor. A second man stands next to him during the interview, who appears to help explain parts of Mejía’s account. This second man points to Mejía’s injuries while questioning why he was hurt so badly after he was already down.
“He showed up all beaten up,” the man says. The man points to Mejía’s split lip and says it required seven stitches. He also points out his black eyes and bruises. He says the injuries look more serious than simple scrapes and appear consistent with someone being punched.
Mejía says he does not remember what happened after he was hit with the Taser. His account is that he fell to the ground and became unconscious.
The interviewer also says Mejía was taken to a hospital after the incident. He claims Mejía was not handcuffed or restrained at the hospital. Instead, he says Mejía was eventually released with an ankle monitor.
The video then explains what Mejía remembers about August 11. He says two trucks were heading toward the path where he was walking to get to work. He tried to run, but federal officers chased him.
He says the officers then used a Taser and struck him in the area he points to on the back of his body. He remembers being hit by the Taser and then falling to the ground.
After that, Mejía says he has no memory of what happened.
The interviewer again points to the injury on Mejía’s lip. He asks how many stitches Mejía received. “Seven stitches,” Mejía answers.
After leaving the hospital, Mejía was fitted with an ankle monitor. He says the device has stopped him from getting an MRI that his doctors ordered. According to IBTimes UK, he was told the monitor interferes with hospital scanners.
Internet Reacts to Virginia ICE Beating Allegations
The video sparked heated debate online, with some commenters accusing agents of deliberate cruelty and others defending the enforcement action entirely.
One commenter wrote, “Again, as it is so many times, and as before, this is sadism. Some of these guys enjoy doing this. They are ‘getting off’! Legally and, perhaps *expletive*.” Another argued, “They need to be charged with attempted murder,” while a third added, “This is absolutely disgusting behavior. These officers need to be fired charged and sued.”
Not everyone sided with Mejía. One user countered, “He had a criminal record the moment he ILLEGALLY entered the US, 18 years ago,” while another wrote, “Tell the truth now….. if he wasn’t trying to flee and break the law nothing would have happened!! If he would have not fought with law enforcement he would have just been handcuffed!”
The footage does not show the events leading up to the encounter or what happened immediately after Mejía fell. The allegations in the video are based on Mejía’s account and the statements made by the person interviewing him.
