A federal officer criticized A vehicle struck a Houston construction worker and broke his leg, believing he was a man who apparently died years ago, the deceased’s family said Friday, questioning the account provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The worker, Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, of Mexico, remains hospitalized with multiple leg fractures and requires reconstructive ankle surgery, according to FIEL, a Houston-based immigration advocacy group. At a news conference Friday, the group said the alleged suspect’s family shared documents proving his death.
After the Oct. 10 episode, ICE said in a statement that agents observed a suspect they were targeting, identified as José Mendoza-Cervantes, enter a vehicle with Parra Hernández.
But on Friday, Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the Harris County district attorney’s office, told The Associated Press that Mendoza-Cervantes was not in that vehicle.
ICE did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
“ICE is lying,” said Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL. “Either someone 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 released a photo of a man identified as Mendoza-Cervantes. But the man in the photo is actually José Hector Jimenez, who died years ago while being pursued by federal immigration authorities while trying to re-enter the United States, according to FIEL.
The man’s daughter provided his death certificate from the Mexican government, which was given to the prosecutor, Espinosa told the AP. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not respond to a request for comment.
Jimenez’s daughter, Jamie Jimenez, did not respond to AP requests for comment. Her husband, Andres Rendon, confirmed to the AP that Jimenez was his wife’s deceased father.
Criminal charges against the ICE officer who drove the vehicle are being considered by Harris County Prosecutor Sean Teare, who said surveillance footage contradicts ICE’s claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the vehicle.
The video shows a black SUV passing a median and heading toward a man who was fleeing. The video does not show the car hitting him — that view is blocked by another vehicle — but it does show the SUV inches from the fleeing man. The video then shows him on the ground.
Sylvia Garcia, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a Democrat who represents Houston, said ICE appears to be lying about what happened.
“If ICE were pursuing a man who died years ago, it raises serious questions about how these operations are conducted and whether agents even check who they are looking for before putting people’s lives in danger,” Garcia said in a statement to the AP. “It’s outrageous – but frankly, it’s not surprising.”
ICE has faced nationwide criticism throughout Donald Trump’s second presidency for its aggressive arrest, detention and deportation tactics.
In 2026 alone, the second year since Trump returned to the White House, more than 30 people have died during interactions with immigration officials, the Guardian reported in late September.
Parra Hernández’s attorney, Kim Bruno, told reporters that her client suffered from depression in federal custody, especially after learning he was not the target of the operation.
“This should never have happened in the first place,” Bruno said.
Miguel’s brother, Roberto Parra, said the two would work together all day in construction and he just wanted his brother to be treated humanely. He said Parra Hernandez had a family to support and his only crime was coming to a country out of necessity.
FIEL is calling for the release of Parra Hernandez before he is transferred from a hospital to a federal detention center.
Nidia Delfín, the sister of Luis Enrique Delfín, arrested in the ICE vehicle that struck Parra Hernández, requested her brother’s release from federal prison so that he could serve as a witness.
“He’s still very worried, still very scared,” she said. “He’s not the same guy who was out” before Parra Hernández was hit on October 10.
Tutor staff contributed
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