Advocates seek to prevent deportation of ICE vehicle witnesses after Houston crash

Two handcuffed men were in the back of an ICE vehicle when it struck Miguel Parra Hernandez as he fled on foot in Houston on Saturday. Advocates and attorneys identified one of the men as Luis Delfín Enríquez, 48, and are working to ensure that the potential witnesses are not deported.

"He owns his own small company. He hires people from the community. He is a good man," said Nidia Delfín, his sister, describing her brother and urging the community to share any information about the incident.

Cesar Espinosa of the immigrant-rights group FIEL Houston, which represents Parra’s family, said the men in the ICE vehicle witnessed the entire event, including the moment Parra was run over. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told NBC News that video evidence suggests the vehicle struck Parra intentionally and that his office is seeking to interview the witnesses as part of an aggravated-assault investigation.

"This was an intentional striking and running over of the person by the vehicle, and in that case, that is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas," Teare said.

A senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that ICE officers on the scene were wearing body cameras and that the agency is reviewing the footage in an internal investigation. ICE has called allegations that the agency intentionally struck Parra “reckless and false.”

A Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday noted that Customs and Border Protection and ICE lack specific operational guidance for body-camera use, raising concerns that personnel may not follow policy. The Trump administration issued guidance two weeks ago requiring officers at vehicle stops to wear and activate body cameras.

The district attorney’s office has obtained security video showing a white truck traveling against traffic, followed by another vehicle crossing a median and striking Parra. The video also shows a man lying on the pavement behind the ICE vehicle.

Advocates criticized ICE for conducting an immigration stop while transporting the handcuffed men, saying the tactics endangered the public. Espinosa and Parra’s attorney Kim Bruno asked that Parra remain at the hospital for treatment, warning that inadequate care could lead to serious health complications.

Parra, a 34-year-old stucco worker who arrived in the United States at age 14, has not been processed by ICE, which claims he is in the country illegally. The driver of the vehicle that struck him was identified as "Omar," who has no criminal record or open immigration warrants.

ICE maintains that it was pursuing a separate individual, Jose Mendoza Cervantes, who it says is in the country illegally and has committed crimes, and that Parra was not the target of the operation.