A Texas prosecutor has launched a criminal investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who allegedly used an SUV to deliberately run over a fleeing man in Houston, leaving him with a broken leg that required surgery.
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that → launch → surgery
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said surveillance footage of Saturday's incident appeared to show the federal agent intentionally striking 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez, raising the possibility of aggravated assault charges.
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agent → say → charges
“In a case like this, the most obvious criminal charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,” Teare told FOX 26 Houston.
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Teare → tell → weapon
“Meaning the car was used as a deadly weapon.
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car → mean → weapon
And it certainly is what appears to have happened based on the surveillance footage.”
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what → appear → footage
The footage shows Parra Hernandez and another person jumping out of a white truck and running away as a dark SUV pursues them.
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SUV → show → them
The vehicle then strikes Parra Hernandez, who is seen lying on the ground moments later.
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who → strike → ground
ICE has disputed the suggestion that the collision was intentional, saying Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle as officers attempted to detain him.
“As ICE officers attempted to apprehend the illegal aliens, Miguel Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck,” Tim Oberle, an ICE spokesperson in Houston, said in a statement provided to The Texas Tribune.
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Oberle → dispute → Tribune
Victim faces further surgery
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Victim → face → surgery
Parra Hernandez, who has lived in the United States for 34 years, was on his way to work when the encounter unfolded, according to Cesar Espinosa, executive director of the immigrant rights organization FIEL Houston.
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encounter → live → organization
Espinosa said Parra Hernandez suffered a broken leg and underwent surgery following the collision.
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Hernandez → say → collision
He is expected to require another operation to reconstruct his injured ankle.
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He → expect → ankle
“He already had a surgery for the injury under his knee and now we’re waiting for swelling to go down in his ankle to be able to have a reconstructive surgery on his ankle,” Espinosa said.
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Espinosa → have → ankle
Espinosa, whose organization is assisting the family, declined to disclose Parra Hernandez's immigration status.
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organization → assist → status
He also said he encountered two ICE agents inside Parra Hernandez's hospital room while visiting the injured man.
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he → say → man
Prosecutor accuses ICE of refusing to cooperate
Teare, a Democrat, said ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the agency, have not cooperated with his office's investigation.
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which → accuse → investigation
DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
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officials → respond → comment
The investigation comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement operations in Houston and elsewhere under President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign.
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investigation → come → campaign
Teare's office previously investigated the fatal shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer in July.
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office → investigate → July
The district attorney said DHS also failed to respond to his requests for information about that incident.
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DHS → say → incident
Salgado Araujo's death was among at least 10 fatalities involving encounters with immigration officers since the beginning of Trump's mass deportation campaign.
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death → involve → campaign
The latest incident has intensified criticism of federal immigration tactics, with local prosecutors now examining whether an ICE agent's actions in Houston crossed the line into criminal conduct.
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actions → intensify → conduct
No criminal charges have been announced in connection with Saturday's collision.
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charges → announce → collision
The Aporia
