ICE targeted man dead since 2017 in Houston operation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were hunting a fugitive last weekend in Houston when an agency SUV struck a 48-year-old man, shattering his leg. There is just one glaring problem: the man ICE claims they were targeting has been dead since 2017, according to family records and advocacy groups.

A Targeted Operation and a Shaken Family

The Oct. 10 incident began when federal immigration agents moved in to execute what Immigration and Customs Enforcement described as a targeted enforcement operation to arrest a man identified as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes. According to the agency’s account, agents attempted a vehicle stop. Two men bolted from the car on foot, and officers gave chase. During the foot pursuit, Miguel Parra Hernández ran in front of an agency vehicle and was struck. The collision left Parra with hip, leg, and ankle injuries, including a broken leg, as confirmed by his family and representatives.

In the wake of the collision, the federal agency circulated a headshot of the man they named as Mendoza-Cervantes, stamping the word “wanted” in capital white letters across the image. But that digital flyer triggered immediate distress. The daughter of the man pictured contacted an immigrant civil rights organization, sobbing after recognizing her late father’s face plastered across the news and the agency’s website.

The 2017 Death Certificate and Growing Scrutiny

During a news conference on Friday, Cesar Espinosa, the leader of FIEL Houston, presented the facts brought forward by the grieving family. The daughter identified the man in the federal “wanted” poster as José Hector Jiménez Mendoza, who passed away in 2017. Representatives provided a copy of a Mexican death certificate listing J. Hector Jimenez Mendoza’s death in Laredo, Texas, in 2017. Kim Bruno, an attorney, called the use of the dead man’s image jaw-dropping.

Espinosa leveled sharp criticism at the federal agency during the Friday briefing. “Either someone is not telling the truth or, all of a sudden, the two ICE agents have developed a sixth sense and are able to see dead people,” Espinosa told reporters. He demanded that the agency come clean and release all body cameras. A senior Department of Homeland Security official noted that internal reviews of bodycam video were underway, though no decision had been made regarding public release. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to inquiries concerning the deceased man or Espinosa’s public remarks.

Criminal Investigations and Detainee Allegations

The operational fallout now extends far beyond a mistaken identity on a digital poster. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare is investigating the incident, evaluating potential charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against the driver of the agency SUV. Teare stated that video footage makes it pretty obvious the vehicle intentionally struck and ran over Parra. Federal officials pushed back against that characterization, calling allegations that the vehicle struck Parra intentionally reckless and false. Teare indicated his office could bring the case before a grand jury as early as next week.

Meanwhile, the officer driving the vehicle has been placed on administrative leave. Attorney Kim Bruno also represents Luis Delfín Martínez, one of two men who sat handcuffed in the back of the immigration vehicle when it struck Parra during the pursuit. Delfín, Parra and the second man in the vehicle, José Presa Cañada, are undocumented. Bruno reported that Delfín sustained soft-tissue injuries after being tossed around the back of the ICE vehicle while he was handcuffed and not buckled in. Delfín is currently detained at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. District Attorney Teare confirmed his office has already interviewed Presa at a south Texas detention center close to the border, securing significant details just as federal authorities were preparing for Presa’s deportation.

More on this story: ICE Vehicle Hits Miguel Parra Hernández in Houston Operation · Mexican Immigrant Critically Injured After Being Struck by ICE Vehicle in Texas