Family says Houston ICE pursuit targeted man who died years ago, leaving worker with broken leg

A U.S. federal immigration vehicle struck Houston construction worker Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, and broke his leg while officers pursued a man whom his family says died years ago. Parra Hernandez, who is from Mexico, remains in hospital with multiple leg fractures and needs reconstructive ankle surgery, according to FIEL, a Houston immigration advocacy group. At a news conference Friday, FIEL said the alleged target’s family had provided documents confirming his death. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to a request for comment.

ICE said officers saw Parra Hernandez with a man they identified as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, the target of the operation, and tried to detain both men. FIEL said the man in a photo released by ICE was actually Jose Hector Jimenez, who died years ago. The group said Jimenez’s daughter provided documents confirming his death and that the documents were given to the district attorney. FIEL executive director Cesar Espinosa accused ICE of lying, saying either someone was not telling the truth or the two officers had suddenly developed a “sixth sense” that let them see dead people.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is considering criminal charges against the ICE officer who drove the vehicle. Surveillance footage contradicted ICE’s claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of it. The video shows a black SUV speeding over a median towards a man running away. Another vehicle blocks the view of the impact, but the SUV appears inches from the fleeing man before he is shown on the ground. Office spokesperson Rafael Lemaitre told The Associated Press that the man ICE identified as Mendoza-Cervantes was not in Parra Hernandez’s vehicle.

Jimenez’s daughter, Jamie Jimenez, did not respond to the AP’s requests for comment. Her husband, Andres Rendon, confirmed to the AP that Jose Hector Jimenez was his wife’s deceased father. FIEL said Jimenez died while being pursued by U.S. federal immigration authorities as he tried to re-enter the United States.

Parra Hernandez’s lawyer, Kim Bruno, told reporters that he is suffering from depression in U.S. federal custody, particularly after learning he was not the target of the operation. Bruno said it should never have happened. His brother, Roberto Parra, said they used to work construction together all day and that he wants his brother to be treated with humanity. He said Parra Hernandez has a family to support and that his only crime was coming to the country out of necessity.

FIEL is seeking Parra Hernandez’s release before he is transferred from hospital to a U.S. federal detention centre. Nidia Delfín, the sister of Luis Enrique Delfín, said her brother was detained in the ICE vehicle that struck Parra Hernandez. She called for his release from federal custody so he can serve as a witness. “He’s still very concerned, still very afraid,” she said. “He’s not the same guy that was out last week.”