Man struck by ICE vehicle in Houston remains in custody with serious injuries
Miguel Parra-Hernandez, 48, suffered serious hip and leg injuries after an ICE vehicle struck him in Houston on Saturday. His representatives dispute the agency’s account of the pursuit and say he remains in custody awaiting further surgery. The Harris County district attorney’s office is investigating.
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Serious injuries and continued custody
Miguel Parra-Hernandez, 48, was struck by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement SUV during a Saturday morning operation in Houston, suffering serious hip and leg injuries, including a shattered ankle. Video shows the vehicle striking him.
His attorney, Kim Bruno, and Cesar Espinosa, executive director of immigrant advocacy group FIEL Houston, said Monday that he remained in ICE custody and needed further surgery. Espinosa said doctors had told Parra-Hernandez not to put weight on his leg for at least six weeks, and that reconstructive surgery must wait until swelling subsides.
Different accounts of the pursuit
ICE said, according to media reports cited by The Guardian, that officers were pursuing Jose Mendoza-Cervantes and attempted to stop a vehicle before its occupants fled. The agency said Parra-Hernandez was not its target but ran in front of the ICE vehicle and was struck.
The Guardian reported that video aired by KTRK shows a dark, unmarked SUV following Parra-Hernandez and veering toward him as he ran across empty parking spaces. Bruno said her client fled because he did not know who was in the vehicle, which she said had neither a siren sounding nor flashing lights.
Bruno said Parra-Hernandez had picked up the other occupant for work and that neither man knew Mendoza-Cervantes. She also said the passenger was not the person ICE identified as its target.
Investigation and traffic-stop rules
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Monday that his office was investigating the incident. The county sheriff’s office said ICE contacted it after the crash.
Earlier in October, ICE adopted traffic-stop guidelines requiring vehicles to be equipped with lights and sirens, though their use was not mandatory. The memo, obtained by the Associated Press, also barred officers from chasing vehicles that refuse to stop.
