Follow-Up: Harris County DA Says ICE Pursuit Target Was Not in Houston Worker's Car; Family Says ICE Photo Shows Man Who Died Years Ago
Houston — Houston is a city in Harris County, Texas. New accounts emerged on Friday, Oct. 16, in the immigration-enforcement pursuit that left a Houston construction worker with a broken leg, according to Associated Press reporting carried by CNN on Oct. 17. Harris County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Rafael Lemaitre told the AP that Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, the man U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said its officers were targeting, was not in the vehicle with the injured worker. At a Houston news conference the same day, the immigration advocacy group FIEL said the photo ICE released of its alleged target actually shows a different man who died years ago. ICE did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
The episode took place last Saturday morning, Oct. 10, near Clay Road in Houston. ICE said in a statement that officers had observed Mendoza-Cervantes enter a vehicle with Miguel Parra Hernandez. A federal officer then drove a vehicle into Parra Hernandez, 48, of Mexico, who remains hospitalized with multiple leg fractures, needs reconstructive ankle surgery, and is in federal custody, according to FIEL.
FIEL executive director Cesar Espinosa said ICE released a photo of a man it identified as Mendoza-Cervantes, but the man is actually Jose Hector Jimenez, who died years ago while being pursued by federal immigration authorities as he was trying to reenter the U.S. Jimenez's daughter provided his death certificate from the Mexican government, which has been turned over to the district attorney, Espinosa told the AP; her husband, Andres Rendon, confirmed to the AP that Jimenez was his wife's deceased father. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not respond to a request for comment. "ICE is lying," Espinosa said. "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."
Criminal charges against the ICE officer who drove the vehicle are being considered by Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, who has said surveillance footage contradicts ICE's claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the vehicle. The video shows a black SUV speeding over a median toward a man who is running away; the moment of impact is blocked by another vehicle, and the man is then seen on the ground. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who represents Houston, said in a statement to the AP: "If ICE was pursuing a man who died years ago, it raises serious questions about how these operations are being carried out and whether agents are even verifying who they're looking for before putting people's lives at risk."
Parra Hernandez's attorney, Kim Bruno, told reporters her client is suffering from depression in federal custody, especially after learning he was not the target of the operation. "This never should have happened in the first place," Bruno said. His brother, Roberto Parra, said the two work construction together and that he wants his brother treated with humanity. 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 episode, called for her brother's release so he can serve as a witness.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于Houston市中心的Harris County刑事司法中心，Harris County地方检察官办公室在此区域办公办案。WhisperToMe摄，公共领域，取自Wikimedia Commons。Photo: The Harris County Criminal Justice Center in downtown Houston. By WhisperToMe, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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