Immigrant ICE was seeking when its agent hit a man with its SUV has been dead since 2017, family says
- Feds claim they were chasing 'Jose Mendoza-Cervantes' but the mugshot they slapped on the 'WANTED' poster belongs to a guy who kicked the bucket in 2017, per a Mexican death certificate.
- The dead man's daughter was sobbing over the news because dear old dad—who died trying to enter the US—was being publicly branded a fugitive from the great ICE manhunt.
- Houston DA Sean Teare—who says the bodycam footage makes it 'pretty obvious' the agent intentionally ran over Miguel Parra—might take this to a grand jury next week.
- ICE is still clutching its bodycam video like a toddler with a security blanket, refusing to release it to the public while a DHS bigwig mulls it over.
- Extra credit: The two guys handcuffed in the back of the ICE SUV during the joyride are now claiming whiplash from being tossed around like laundry in a dryer.
Brief Summary
In what can only be described as the most Houston ICE operation ever, federal agents managed to run over a 48-year-old man while allegedly chasing a fugitive who has been pushing up daisies since 2017. The Feds posted a 'WANTED' poster with a headshot of José Hector Jimenez Mendoza—a man so wanted he's been dead for nearly a decade—and his daughter had to call the advocacy group FIEL sobbing because her father's corpse was now public enemy #1.
While ICE insists the whole thing was a "targeted enforcement operation" and that the collision was a tragic accident, the Harris County DA is calling bull—saying the video makes it "pretty obvious" the agent intentionally struck Miguel Parra. Meanwhile, the family attorney calls the mix-up 'beyond mind-blowing,' and the good folks at ICE are holding onto the bodycam footage tighter than their coffee mugs. The other guy in the car confirms the dead man's photo is not him, which raises the question: does ICE even have a suspect, or are they just playing a morbid game of Whack-a-Mole?
Why This Matters
Here's why you should care: this is a case study in how federal agencies can royally screw up and still face zero immediate consequences. If ICE can't identify a target who's been dead for seven years, what else are they getting wrong? The fact that they're refusing to release bodycam footage should make every citizen nervous—especially if you're in a demographic they like to chase down in SUVs.
More importantly, this sets a chilling precedent: you're not safe from a federal manhunt even if you're dead. Your family could be seeing your face plastered on ICE's website as a wanted criminal while the agency runs over civilians with impunity. If you're undocumented, this is a nightmare scenario. If you're a taxpayer, you should be furious your money funds this level of incompetence. Either way, keep an eye on that grand jury—because if this goes sideways for ICE, it might set a precedent for accountability.