ICE SUV Strike in Houston Exposes Wanted Man Who Died in 2017

The ICE Houston SUV strike that injured 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernández on Oct. 10 has widened into a dispute over both the use of force and the identity of the person agents were trying to detain. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says its agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation for Jose Mendoza-Cervantes when an agent driving an SUV hit Parra in Houston. The family of the man ICE named says he died in 2017.

A wanted of a man who died years earlier

After the incident, ICE distributed a of the man it identified as Mendoza-Cervantes. The deceased man’s daughter, Jamie Jimenez, recognized the and contacted FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights group. A Mexican death certificate lists J. Hector Jimenez Mendoza as having died in 2017 in Laredo, Texas. Portions of the certificate were blacked out.

Jimenez said her family was horrified to see her father presented as a living fugitive. She also said he had used aliases, including the name ICE used. At a Friday news conference, FIEL Houston leader Cesar Espinosa described the daughter sobbing when she saw her father’s circulated as a wanted person. Espinosa said either someone is lying or agents are seeing dead people.

Injuries and competing accounts of the collision

Parra suffered hip, leg and ankle injuries, including a broken leg. ICE said Parra ran in front of the vehicle and was struck. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said video shows the ICE agent intentionally struck Parra. ICE called the allegation of an intentional strike reckless and false.

Two people fled the car on foot, according to the brief. One of them, identified as Omar, confirmed he was in the car with Parra. The brief notes that the deceased man’s showed light-colored eyes, while Omar’s eyes are different.

Two handcuffed passengers and a widening inquiry

Two men were handcuffed in the ICE vehicle during the pursuit. Luis Delfín Martínez was handcuffed and unbuckled in the back of the vehicle and suffered soft-tissue injuries; he is detained at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. José Presa Cañada was interviewed at a south Texas detention center, and ICE told Teare’s office it planned to deport him.

Kim Bruno, an attorney for Parra and Delfín, said news of the death was beyond mind-blowing and described the use of the as jaw-dropping. Espinosa said Parra, Delfín and Presa are undocumented. FIEL Houston turned documents over to Teare, and Espinosa called on ICE to release body camera footage.

A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that body camera video exists and is under internal review, and that the driver was placed on administrative leave. Teare, a Democrat, is investigating possible aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and may take the case to a grand jury next week. ICE did not respond to questions about the deceased man or Delfín’s allegations.