Local prosecutors in Houston, Texas, are investigating whether to charge an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a vehicle struck and severely injured a fleeing man.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teeson stated on the 13th that experienced investigators reviewed surveillance footage of the incident and determined that the collision may not have been a mere accidental crash. The prosecutor’s office launched an independent investigation the previous day.
The incident occurred on the 10th during an ICE vehicle enforcement operation. Miguel Parra Hernandez (48) was injured after exiting a vehicle and attempting to flee, suffering severe injuries including trauma to his legs and hips, and a shattered ankle. According to the immigrant rights group FIEL, he has undergone one surgery and requires additional reconstructive surgery once the swelling subsides.
ICE explained that the occupants fled when officers attempted a traffic stop, and claimed that Parra “jumped in front of the ICE vehicle and caused the collision.” ICE also stated that Parra was not the original target of the operation.
In contrast, footage obtained by NBC affiliate KPRC shows an unmarked white vehicle moving in the opposite direction, crossing the centerline toward the path where Parra was running. The video also shows the vehicle steering left to approach Parra’s trajectory.
Parra’s side argued that the ICE vehicle was unmarked, lacked sirens, and had heavily tinted windows, making it difficult to recognize as a government agent’s vehicle.
A high-ranking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official stated that multiple ICE agents at the scene were wearing body cameras, and that ICE is reviewing related footage during its internal investigation.
Parra is currently receiving treatment at a hospital but remains in ICE custody. According to his attorney, Parra entered the United States at age 14, has lived in the country for 34 years, and has no criminal record. DHS stated that he was in the U.S. without legal status.
ICE confirmed that the actual target of the pursuit was Jose Mendoza Cervantes. ICE stated that Cervantes had been deported twice, entered the country illegally five times, has arrest records for drunk driving and illegal weapons possession, and currently has a valid deportation order.
However, Parra’s side countered that neither Parra nor the companions riding in the car with him knew Mendoza Cervantes.
This incident occurred less than two weeks after the Trump administration announced new guidelines tightening ICE vehicle enforcement procedures. The guidelines stipulate that only specially trained officers may conduct vehicle stops, enforcement vehicles must be equipped with emergency lights and sirens, and field officers must wear and operate body cameras.
