Harris County Sheriff's Office

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare says surveillance footage makes it "pretty obvious" that an ICE officer intentionally struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, with an SUV during an immigration stop near Houston, which he says constitutes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon under Texas law. Parra Hernandez, a 34-year U.S. resident with no criminal record, suffered a shattered leg and other fractures requiring surgery, with more operations planned; he remains hospitalized in ICE custody.

ICE says agents were pursuing Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, a man with a criminal record and deportation history, who it says fled the vehicle alongside Parra Hernandez. But The New York Times reports the pictured target may be Jose Hector Jimenez Mendoza, who his family says died in 2017 fleeing the border. The agent involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review. Teare says ICE and DHS have not cooperated with his office's investigation and suspects crash data may have been erased before a warrant could be executed. ICE calls the allegations false. The case follows a July incident in which an ICE officer fatally shot another Houston-area man.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is calling for a special Commissioners Court session to revisit the county's Flock Safety license-plate reader program, saying officials renewed the contract in May without full public debate or added oversight safeguards that had been discussed at the time. Hidalgo wants a public accounting of the county's Flock contracts, a discussion with experts and residents, and a pause on the program until stronger privacy protections are in place. The original renewal passed 4-0, with Hidalgo abstaining, after officials credited the cameras with aiding arrests and solving violent crimes, while residents warned the system logs every vehicle, not just suspects.

The dispute reflects broader unease across Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott has cut certain state funding for Flock cameras, and allegations of misused searches have surfaced at several Houston-area police departments. In Magnolia, the police chief has decided not to renew his department's contract over similar data-privacy concerns and budget constraints, despite acknowledging the cameras' investigative value. Harris County commissioners meet Tuesday, though Flock was not yet on the posted agenda.

Harris County, Texas, has approved one-time payments of $45,000 to each of its eight constables and $48,390 to the county fire marshal, part of a settlement agreement obtained by 13 Investigates through an open records request. The deal also raised constables' and the fire marshal's annual salary to $305,000, following an earlier raise in October that brought their pay to $260,000.

The agreement stems from disputes over House Bill 4205, which requires pay parity across classes of peace officers in the county, including those under the sheriff's office, whose sheriff earns nearly $330,000. State Representative Sam Harless had asked the Texas Attorney General to weigh in on whether the pay gap violated the law, but withdrew the request once he learned the county and constables reached a settlement. County officials have largely declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of executive session discussions. Judge Lina Hidalgo was the lone official to publicly oppose the raises, citing the county's $181 million budget deficit and possible property tax hikes.

Harris County spends about $1.2 million a day to provide free health insurance to nearly 46,000 employees and retirees, an unusual benefit compared to peer governments and private employers that typically split premium costs with workers. The expense has doubled over the past decade and is now a central issue in the county's budget crisis, with a projected $181 million deficit and a possible 10% property tax increase under consideration.

The county's budget shows healthcare claims are expected to exceed revenue and reserves by $8 million in fiscal year 2026 and $102 million in fiscal year 2027. Commissioners rejected proposals requiring employees to pay into a base plan, though one pharmacy-related change affecting five people is projected to save $9 million. Commissioner Adrian Garcia floated grandfathering current employees while charging premiums to new hires. Critics, including Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Baker Institute fellow Bill King, argue the county has a spending problem driven by staffing growth and rising payroll, while other commissioners defend healthcare benefits as a commitment to workers amid broader budget pressures tied to state and federal funding cuts.