ICE agent who struck Houston worker was reportedly pursuing a man who died years ago
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer hit a 48-year-old construction worker with a vehicle in Houston, Texas, apparently mistaking him for a man whose family says he died years ago. The Harris County district attorney is weighing criminal charges against the driver.
On 10 October in Houston, Texas, an officer from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) struck a 48-year-old Mexican construction worker, Miguel Parra Hernandez, with a vehicle and broke his leg. Houston-based immigration advocacy group FIEL said on Friday that the agent was apparently looking for a man whose family says he died years ago, a claim that casts further doubt on ICE's own account of the incident.
Conflicting accounts
After the incident, ICE said its officers had seen their target, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, get into a vehicle with Parra Hernandez. On Friday, Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesperson for the Harris County district attorney's office, told the Associated Press that Mendoza-Cervantes was not in that vehicle.
The photo ICE released of the supposed target actually shows Jose Hector Jimenez, according to FIEL. The group says he died years ago while being pursued by federal immigration authorities as he tried to re-enter the US. His daughter provided a death certificate issued by the Mexican government, which has been handed to the district attorney. Her husband confirmed to the AP that Jimenez was his wife's late father. ICE did not respond to requests for comment.
The investigation
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare is considering criminal charges against the ICE officer who drove the vehicle. He has said surveillance footage contradicts ICE's claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of it. The video shows a black SUV speeding across a median toward a man running away. Another vehicle blocks the view of the impact, but the SUV is seen inches from the man, who is then shown on the ground.
Sylvia Garcia, a Democratic member of the US House who represents Houston, said the case raises serious questions about whether agents verify who they are looking for.
The worker's condition
Parra Hernandez remains in hospital with multiple leg fractures and needs reconstructive ankle surgery. His attorney, Kim Bruno, said he has become depressed in federal custody. FIEL is seeking his release before he is transferred from the hospital to a federal detention center.
