ICE Hits Houston Man With Vehicle, Breaking Both His Legs

Over the weekend, a man in Houston was hospitalized after he was struck by a vehicle driven by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who was allegedly pursuing him and another man. This, of course, is the same ICE that repeatedly claims its agents had to shoot people who were “weaponizing their vehicle” against them, when those vehicles were clearly just trying to drive away.

But let’s start with what happened.

From ABC News:

Maj. Anthony McConnell of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Investigation Bureau told reporters that around 7:20 a.m. local time, law enforcement officers were called to Clay Road near Highway 6 just outside Houston after the unidentified ICE agent called 911 for an ambulance for the man, later identified by ICE as Miguel Parra-Hernandez, who was struck.

An ICE spokesperson said in a statement that the agency was attempting to arrest another man, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, a Mexican national who they allege had a criminal record and a final order of removal by a judge. 

The ICE agent allegedly observed Mendoza-Cervantes and Parra-Hernandez, who the agency alleged was undocumented, enter a car and attempted a car stop, according to ICE.

McConnell said the ICE agent allegedly was pursuing the man and another person in their car, and during the chase, the driver and the passenger left their vehicle on foot.

Surveillance video of the incident reviewed by ABC News appears to show the agent maneuvering his vehicle in the direction of the man running and striking him with the vehicle.

Now, according to ICE, “Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck.”

Parra-Hernandez is currently in ICE custody after he was reportedly taken to the hospital with a broken leg, according to McConnell, although ABC 13 reported that, according to his attorney, Kim Bruno, both his legs were broken.

Bruno also claims her client never met Mendoza-Cervantes, who she said was not the other person in the white pickup truck with Parra-Hernandez on Saturday. As it stands, no law enforcement officials have released the identity or whereabouts of the other person who fled the scene. Bruno also said ICE has denied her access to her client.

Again, Mendoza-Cervantes was ICE’s supposed target, but Parra-Hernandez is the one we know is in ICE custody. His niece, Natxielly Castañeda, told ABC 13 that he had been in the U.S. for more than 30 years and was working toward obtaining citizenship.

“Most Hispanic communities are here to work. We are here to work. We are here not to cause problems,” she said.

Yeah — this is an administration that simply doesn’t care. Its agents shoot first and claim vehicles were weaponized later, but they don’t face consequences for the civilians they brutalize, even when it’s by using their vehicles as deadly weapons.

And they wonder why so many are calling for the agency to be abolished. This is why.

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