Two Men in ICE Custody Were Riding in the Vehicle That Struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, Attorneys Say

The attorney representing a man who was struck by an unmarked vehicle Saturday during an immigration-enforcement operation in Houston said two other men were also in the federal agent’s car at the time of the incident.

Houston-based attorney Kim Bruno said during a news conference Wednesday that Luis Delfin Martinez and another man, both Mexican immigrants, were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials early Saturday and were riding in the ICE vehicle when it struck Miguel Parra Hernandez.

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The incident left Parra Hernandez with a broken leg that has since required surgery. He remains in a hospital and is being guarded by ICE agents.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare’s office is investigating Saturday’s incident as a potential case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Teare told the Houston Chronicle on Monday.

Bruno said Parra Hernandez is recuperating but now needs surgery on his ankle.

Bruno and Cesar Espinosa, the executive director of FIEL Houston, added that neither of the witnesses know an immigrant named José Mendoza Cervantes, the man ICE officials said was the intended target of the operation. In a statement, ICE officials said Mendoza Cervantes had a lengthy criminal history and was driving the truck Parra Hernandez rode in before he fled the vehicle and was struck.

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The truck’s driver was a man that Espinosa only identified as “Omar” who does not match Mendoza Cervantes’ description.

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Espinosa and Bruno declined to identify the other passenger who was with Delfin but confirmed both men are being held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe.

Nidia Delfin, Luis Delfin’s sister, said that like Parra Hernandez, her brother has lived in the United States for more than three decades.

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Nidia Delfin said her brother had a pending application for legal status but did not elaborate on whether that was an application for a visa or permanent residency.

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