Man injured in weekend collision involving ICE vehicle undergoes surgery, remains hospitalized

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in northwest Harris County ended in a vehicle pursuit and pedestrian collision over the weekend, leaving one man hospitalized and sparking criticism from local immigrant advocacy groups.

The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of Clay Road and Highway 6.

According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, ICE agents were pursuing a vehicle carrying a targeted suspect. Authorities say the pursuit escalated when the vehicle traveled the wrong way down Clay Road, came to a stop, and both occupants fled on foot.

Pursuit Ends in Collision

During the foot chase, one of the men, identified as Miguel Parra, was struck by an ICE vehicle in a shopping center parking lot.

Parra suffered severe injuries, including a broken leg that required surgery. Attorneys representing Parra’s family confirmed he sustained additional hip and leg injuries and faces a lengthy recovery process.

Advocacy Group Demands Answers

What they're saying:

FIEL Houston, an immigrant advocacy organization, held a press conference to provide updates on Parra’s condition and raise concerns regarding his treatment.

Group leaders reported that Parra is currently receiving medical care under the active guard of ICE agents. Parra’s attorney, Kim Bruno, stated she was permitted to speak with her client for only 10 to 15 minutes at the hospital before both legal counsel and advocacy representatives were instructed to leave the facility.

"There’s no reason why I as his attorney, could not go in and have a confidential conversation with my client," said Kim Bruno, attorney for the Parra family.

"To add insult to injury, Mr. Miguel is in the custody of ICE agents who ran him down," said Cesar Espinosa, Executive Director of FIEL Houston. "Let me say that again, because this is so disheartening and so angering that Miguel has to face the people that brutally attacked him."

Conflicting Accounts Surrounding Target

An ICE spokesperson confirmed Parra is an undocumented Mexican national and remains in stable condition. 

Federal officials stated they are actively searching for Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom they identified as the primary target of the enforcement action. An ICE spokesperson shared in a statement to FOX 26 that agents observed their target enter the vehicle with Parra prior to the pursuit and subsequently released this photograph of Mendoza-Cervantes to the public.

The poster says, "Criminal illegal alien remains at-large after dangerous attempt to evade arrest," and asks the public to share information about the suspect to ICE. 

However, representatives from FIEL and Parra’s legal team dispute ICE's account. They allege that the second individual in the vehicle was not Mendoza-Cervantes and claim that neither occupant had prior acquaintance with the target named by federal authorities.

FOX 26 has reached out to an ICE representative for a response to these allegations. 

FOX 26 has also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to inquire whether dashcam or body-worn camera footage captured the collision. An official update remains pending.