Harris County Prosecutor to Investigate ICE Hitting Man With Vehicle

HOUSTON, TX — Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said this week that his office will investigate why an immigration agent driving an SUV ran over a 48-year-old man during an enforcement operation on Saturday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that ICE officers were searching for Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, who had a deportation order, around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. 

ICE said that Miguel Parra-Hernandez, who was in the same vehicle as Mendoza-Cervantes, got out and ran in front of an ICE vehicle. 

“As ICE officers attempted to apprehend the illegal aliens, Miguel Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck,” according to a statement sent to The Texas Tribune on Saturday by Tim Oberle, a spokesperson for ICE in Houston.

Surveillance footage captured on a nearby camera depicts two men getting out of a white pickup truck and running in different directions through a parking lot. The footage also shows a black SUV pursue one of the men from behind as he ran from it. 

“ICE tactics are growing more brazen and more dangerous,” Teare said in a statement. “High-speed pursuits and aggressive operations on busy streets put everyone at risk. No badge puts anyone above the law in Harris County and we will continue to follow evidence wherever it may lead.”

Mendoza-Cervantes, who ICE said has been previously arrested in connection to driving under the influence and unlawful possession of a firearm, fled on foot. As of Tuesday, federal agents were looking for him, ICE said in a statement. 

“Allegations that ICE struck Miguel Parra-Hernandez intentionally are reckless and false,” ICE said in the email.

At a news conference on Sunday, family members said Parra-Hernandez was on his way to work. They said that Parra-Hernandez suffered two broken legs and underwent surgery. As of Monday, he was recovering at a hospital in Katy.

“We want justice,” Rodolfo Parra, the man’s brother, said at the news conference. 

Natxielly Castañeda, Parra-Hernandez’s niece, said at the news conference that her uncle most likely ran from ICE out of fear, especially because he has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years without being in trouble with the law.