ICE vehicle strikes man during Houston immigration enforcement operation
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer's SUV hit a man who fled a traffic stop in a Houston parking lot, leaving him with a broken leg; the incident is under investigation by local authorities.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer drove an unmarked Jeep Cherokee into a west Houston parking lot on Saturday morning, striking a man who was running away after agents attempted to stop a vehicle. The collision left the man, identified as Miguel Parra-Hernandez, with a broken leg that required surgery at a hospital in Katy. ICE said Parra-Hernandez "ran in front of the vehicle and was struck," and noted that he was in the United States without permission.
According to a security-camera video provided by a local business owner, the incident began around 7:28 a.m. after a white pickup driven by another suspect, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, stopped in the wrong lane and fled on foot. Parra-Hernandez ran toward a dumpster area while the Jeep Cherokee turned left off Clay Road, jumped a curb, and entered the parking lot, where it collided with him. The video shows the Jeep without visible emergency lights and later other vehicles, including one with flashing lights, arriving at the scene.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation and posted about it on social media. The driver of the Jeep remained at the scene and spoke with deputies, but no charges have been announced. Local officials, including U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia and Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, called for full transparency and cooperation from ICE, demanding the release of all video evidence.
Immigrant-rights group FIEL, which assists undocumented migrants, reported that Parra-Hernandez was taken into ICE custody after treatment. The incident follows a July shooting involving ICE agents in Houston, which prompted policy changes such as the adoption of body-camera use and new pursuit guidelines.