Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo calls for release of man injured in ICE incident

HOUSTON - Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is calling for the immediate release of Miguel Parra Hernandez, who was struck by an ICE agent's vehicle last month.

She is also raising concerns about his access to legal counsel, family visitation and medical care. 

Harris County judge calls for Miguel Parra's release

Hidalgo was joined Thursday morning by attorney Kim Bruno, FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa and representatives from U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia’s and U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher's offices to make several urgent requests on Parra Hernandez's behalf.

Parra Hernandez reportedly remains in a rehabilitation facility after sustaining a broken leg in the incident on Oct. 10.

Judge Hidalgo outlined her concerns in a news release:

"After learning that Mr. Parra is not being given proper access to legal counsel, family visitation, or health care, Judge Hidalgo called for Mr. Parra to:

• Have proper access to legal counsel. Right now, Mr. Parra is not allowed to see his attorney without security in the room, and his attorney has been told she can’t bring documents or come during certain hours. 
• Be allowed to see his family, without threats to end visitation if they don’t follow arbitrary rules. Facility staff have told Mr. Parra’s family to leave, have confiscated home-cooked food from them, and told his family that if they break more arbitrary rules then they will not be allowed to visit Mr. Parra again. 
• Be given access to proper health care in private, including behavioral/mental health care. Mr. Parra is in great pain both physically and mentally, and he is not being given the tools or resources that he deserves to recover properly. Currently, security agents remain with him even when he speaks with a psychological professional. 
• Finally, Mr. Parra should be immediately released. He is a victim of a crime and an invaluable asset to the investigation into federal agent Mario Morales."

Man injured in Harris County ICE incident

The backstory:

Parra Hernandez was injured in an incident at Clay Road and Highway 6 on Oct. 10.

ICE agents were reportedly going after a truck with two men inside. According to the sheriff's office, the white truck began driving the wrong way down Clay Road before coming to a complete stop.

Two men exited the white truck and fled on foot. One man ran eastbound down Clay Road and escaped. The second man, identified as Parra Hernandez, was struck by an ICE vehicle.

Parra Hernandez was rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery for a broken leg. He was reportedly later transferred to a rehabilitation facility where he continues to recover.

Indictment of ICE agent

ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales has been indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to the incident. Under Texas law, this is a second-degree felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.

David Lindenmuth, the attorney representing Morales, said his client was attempting to close the distance with someone fleeing from agents when the crash happened.

"What I see is an individual fleeing from a lawful detention and deciding that they don't want to be detained. I see an officer doing what every single officer who drives a patrol car does, closing the distance with an individual on foot. What went wrong is that that person fled, and there was a vehicle in front of Mr. Morales's patrol vehicle, and he had to take evasive maneuvers to not strike that vehicle head on. That's what happened. That is an accident. It is not a crime," Lindenmuth said.

In a previous statement, ICE claimed, "This is nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians."

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