ICE misidentifies deceased immigrant in Houston vehicle collision, advocacy group demands transparency
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An immigration rights group says ICE mistakenly used a photo of a man who died in 2017 as a wanted fugitive after an agent struck a different immigrant with an SUV in Houston, prompting calls for release of body-camera footage.
ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in Houston on Oct. 10 when an SUV struck Miguel Parra Hernández, 48, causing serious injuries to his hip, leg and ankle. ICE initially said the vehicle stop led to Parra running in front of the SUV. The agency later released a photo of a man it identified as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, labeling him "wanted."
The daughter of the man in the photo told immigrant civil-rights organization FIEL Houston that the image was of her father, José Hector Jimenez Mendoza, who died in 2017 while attempting to enter the United States. The New York Times previously reported the same, citing the family’s statement that Mendoza used multiple aliases, including the one ICE used.
FIEL leader Cesar Espinosa said the family called his office in distress after seeing the photo on ICE’s website and that the organization has provided all relevant documents to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare. Parra’s attorney, Kim Bruno, supplied a Mexican death certificate confirming Mendoza’s death in Laredo, Texas, in 2017.
"The news that the man ICE identified as Mendoza-Cervantes is dead is beyond mind-blowing," Bruno said, adding that the use of the deceased man’s image is "jaw-dropping."
Espinosa criticized ICE for the misidentification and urged the agency to release its body-camera footage. A senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that the video is under internal review but has not yet been cleared for public release. The officer who drove the vehicle has been placed on administrative leave.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced an investigation into possible aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges related to Parra’s injuries and indicated a grand jury could be convened as early as next week. Teare said videos suggest ICE intentionally struck Parra, a claim ICE has called "reckless and false."
In addition to Parra, two other undocumented men, Luis Delfín Martínez and José Presa Cañada, were handcuffed in the back of the ICE vehicle during the incident. Bruno reported that Delfín suffered soft-tissue injuries after being tossed around while handcuffed. Delfín remains detained at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. Teare’s office has interviewed Presa and obtained additional details.