A 48-year-old Houston man who was run over by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle during a Saturday pursuit now faces multiple additional surgeries, according to advocates speaking on his behalf.
Miguel Parra Hernandez suffered serious injuries including damage to his leg and hip along with a shattered ankle when an ICE vehicle struck him. Cesar Espinosa, executive director of the immigration advocacy organization FIEL, said Parra cannot bear weight on the injured leg for at least six weeks and must wait for swelling to subside before doctors can proceed with reconstructive procedures.
Espinosa described the incident as a violent encounter and said Parra fled on foot because the vehicles involved were unmarked, had heavily tinted windows and did not activate sirens, leaving Parra uncertain whether they were law enforcement.
ICE offered a different account, stating that agents attempted a vehicle stop and that Parra ran directly in front of an agency vehicle while officers pursued fleeing individuals. The agency confirmed Parra was not the intended target of the stop.
Video footage obtained by Houston television station KPRC shows a white unmarked truck traveling against traffic, crossing a median and appearing to veer toward Parra before he is seen on the ground behind the vehicle.
ICE identified the actual target of the stop as Jose Mendoza Cervantes, a man the agency said had been deported twice and illegally re-entered the country five times. Mendoza Cervantes reportedly had multiple drunk driving arrests and a prior firearms charge.
Parra’s attorney Kim Bruno said her client has lived in the United States for 34 years after arriving at age 14 and has no criminal history. Bruno also said Parra had never previously encountered immigration authorities and worked in the stucco trade.
Advocates expressed outrage that Parra remains in ICE custody at the hospital. Bruno said during a Monday morning visit she and Espinosa were given only about 10 to 15 minutes before ICE agents entered the room and began recording the conversation before forcing them to leave.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into the incident and is receiving assistance from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators from the DA’s Civil Rights Division were dispatched to the scene where Parra was struck.
The incident occurred less than two weeks after the Trump administration issued updated guidance requiring that vehicles used in traffic enforcement be equipped with lights and sirens and that all officers involved must wear and activate body cameras during such stops.