HOUSTON (AP) — A federal immigration vehicle slammed into a Houston construction worker and broke his leg while pursuing a man who apparently died years ago, his family said Friday, raising questions about why the operation took place at all.
The worker, 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez of Mexico, remains hospitalized with multiple leg fractures and needs reconstructive ankle surgery, according to the Houston-based immigration advocacy group FIEL.
At a news conference Friday, the group said the alleged suspect's family had shared documentation proving his death.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.
“ICE is lying,” said Cesar Espinosa, FIEL’s executive director. “Either somebody is not telling the truth or all of a sudden these two ICE agents have developed a sixth sense and are able to see dead people.”
ICE said its officers spotted Parra Hernandez with a man it identified as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, the target of the operation, and tried to detain them both.
However, the man in a photo released by ICE was actually Jose Hector Jimenez, who died years ago, according to FIEL. The group said the man's daughter provided documents confirming his death, which have been turned over to the district attorney.
Criminal charges against the ICE officer who drove the vehicle are being considered by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, after surveillance footage contradicted ICE’s claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the vehicle.
The video shows a black SUV speeding over a median and driving toward a man who is running away. The video does not show the car hitting him — that view is blocked by another vehicle — but it shows the SUV inches from the fleeing man. The video then shows him on the ground.
The man ICE identified as Mendoza-Cervantes was not in Parra Hernandez’s vehicle, Harris County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Rafael Lemaitre told The Associated Press.
Jimenez's daughter, Jamie Jimenez, did not respond to requests for comment from the AP. Her husband, Andres Rendon, confirmed to the AP that Jose Hector Jimenez was his wife's deceased father.
He died while being pursued by federal immigration authorities as he was trying to reenter the U.S., according to FIEL.
Parra Hernandez's attorney, Kim Bruno, told reporters that her client is suffering from depression in federal custody, especially after learning that he was not the target of the operation.
“This never should have happened in the first place,” Bruno said.
His brother, Roberto Parra, said they would work construction all day together and he just wants his brother treated with humanity. He said Parra Hernandez has a family to support, and his only crime was coming to a country out of necessity.
FIEL is seeking Parra Hernandez's release before he is moved from a hospital to a federal detention center.
Nidia Delfín, the sister of Luis Enrique Delfín, who was detained in the ICE vehicle that hit Parra Hernandez, called for her brother's release from federal custody so he could 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.”
