An ICE agent struck a man with his vehicle during a Saturday chase outside Houston, and Harris County officials are already demanding full cooperation from the agency.
Law enforcement was called to Clay Road near Highway 6 just outside Houston around 7:20 a.m. local time Saturday after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dialed 911 for an ambulance. A man had been struck by a vehicle driven by the agent during an alleged pursuit.
ABC News reported that the agent was attempting to arrest Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, described by ICE as a Mexican national with a criminal record and a final order of removal issued by a judge. ICE also said Miguel Parra-Hernandez, the man who was hit, was an illegal immigrant.
Both men had entered a car. The agent tried a vehicle stop. The driver and passenger then left the car on foot.
Parra-Hernandez appeared to suffer a broken leg. He was taken to a hospital and placed in ICE custody. No arrests were made at the scene. As of Saturday afternoon, ICE said the driver of the pursued vehicle had not been found.
ICE’s account of the strike is direct. The agency said Parra-Hernandez ran into the path of the vehicle.
"Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck."
Surveillance video reviewed by ABC News appears to show a different sequence: the agent maneuvering the vehicle in the direction of a man who was running, then striking him. That video has not been released in full in the available reporting, and the agent has not been publicly identified.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and opened a crash investigation. Maj. Anthony McConnell of the Special Investigation Bureau told reporters the office was gathering evidence, including video from nearby buildings.
"We're here to investigate the crash."
McConnell said no arrests had been made and referred further questions to ICE.
Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones called the episode “horrifying” and pressed ICE to turn over all evidence to the sheriff’s office and work with local investigators.
"We demand full transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law."
Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin struck a similar note, stressing speed and clarity for the public.
"Time is of the essence in getting the facts, and the public deserves clear, accurate answers."
Kamin also said ICE must fully cooperate with the local probe and that her office supports Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and District Attorney Sean Teare in an independent investigation. She said the county attorney’s office stands ready to assist and will monitor developments as facts become clear.
Those statements put the heat on the federal agency that initiated the stop. They do not address why Mendoza-Cervantes was a removal target in the first place, or why two men left a car on foot when agents moved in.
ICE’s stated purpose was an arrest of Mendoza-Cervantes based on a criminal record and a final removal order. The agency alleged Parra-Hernandez was present as an illegal immigrant and did not immediately list a criminal history for him. The unidentified agent called for medical help after the strike.
Open questions remain. The agent’s name has not been released. Body-worn or vehicle camera footage from ICE, if it exists, has not been described in detail. Parra-Hernandez’s medical condition beyond an apparent broken leg is unclear. Prosecutors have not announced charges. And the second man had not been located as of Saturday afternoon.
Local officials want every frame of evidence and full federal cooperation. Federal agents were trying to take a man with a judge’s final removal order into custody when the chase turned into a crash. Both realities sit in the same Saturday morning timeline outside Houston.
When men under removal orders run from federal agents, the public deserves a complete crash investigation, and an honest accounting of why the chase started at all.
