Texas DA says ICE intentionally hit immigrant with a car and may have withheld evidence: news

Texas District Attorney Investigates ICE Agent for Allegedly Striking Immigrant with Vehicle and Withholding Evidence

A criminal investigation has been launched in Texas following allegations that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer intentionally struck an undocumented immigrant with an SUV during an enforcement operation in Houston. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare confirmed that his office is examining whether the agent weaponized the federal vehicle to run down the fleeing individual, alongside claims regarding the potential withholding or delayed disclosure of critical video evidence.

The Pursuit and Vehicle Collision Incident

The incident occurred during an ICE targeted enforcement operation in Harris County. According to federal agency statements, officers attempted to initiate a vehicle stop to apprehend a designated target. Two men exited the vehicle and fled on foot, after which one of themidentified as Miguel Parra-Hernandezwas struck by an pursuing ICE agent’s vehicle.

While ICE officials initially claimed the individual abruptly ran in front of the moving SUV, video accounts and eyewitness reports prompted local prosecutors to question that narrative. The impact caused severe lower-body injuries, including a broken leg, requiring the victim’s hospitalization.

Criminal Inquiry and Scrutiny Over Evidence

District Attorney Sean Teare stated that local prosecutors and sheriff’s investigators are assessing whether chargespotentially including aggravated assault with a deadly weaponare warranted against the federal driver. Key points under active review include:

• Intent and Vehicle Weaponization: Determining if the trajectory, acceleration, and steering input of the ICE SUV demonstrate a deliberate attempt to hit the fleeing man rather than an unavoidable accident.

  The Texas Tribune

• Body-Worn and Dashcam Footage: Local officials and community leaders have demanded immediate access to all dashboard camera and body-camera recordings from participating federal personnel.

• Withholding Evidence Concerns: Investigators are probing whether federal authorities failed to promptly preserve, furnish, or disclose full unedited video footage to local law enforcement.

• Target Misidentification: While ICE asserted the raid targeted an undocumented individual with previous arrest warrants, attorneys for Parra-Hernandez stated he had resided in the United States for over three decades without a criminal record and was not the primary target of the initial stop.

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Broader Oversight on Federal Enforcement Tactics

The confrontation has escalated scrutiny over federal vehicle enforcement practices and the jurisdictional authority of state prosecutors to hold federal law enforcement officers accountable under state penal codes. Local leaders continue to demand transparency, stressing that federal immunity does not shield law enforcement personnel from state criminal liability if excessive or deadly force is deployed unlawfully.