news.today
Hello · Register today | LoginHello · My Account[—] [32]
US

ICE officer indicted for hitting man with vehicle in Texas

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 20:16 · Archive

An ICE officer has been indicted on aggravated assault charges for allegedly driving into a man during an immigration operation in Houston.

A Texas grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on Friday for allegedly driving into a man during an immigration enforcement operation. Morales, 33, faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of between two and 20 years.

The incident occurred on 10 October in Houston when Morales allegedly struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican construction worker, with an unmarked black Jeep Cherokee. Parra Hernandez was running away during the operation. He sustained multiple fractures to his right leg and an ankle injury that required surgery, and was placed into custody with a broken leg.

Parra Hernandez has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years and has no criminal record. He did not have an active deportation order. Morales was pursuing a different man when he engaged with Parra Hernandez, according to prosecutors.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment at a news conference on Friday where he released surveillance video and body camera footage from the incident. Surveillance video shows the Jeep Cherokee crossing a median and driving towards Parra Hernandez as he runs away. The vehicle's body camera footage records Morales saying 'I was coming in and I hit him with the car'. Teare said surveillance video 'clearly contradicts' ICE's account of what happened and described the evidence as 'as clear as any that I've ever prosecuted or investigated'. He stated 'An ICE badge does not give you free rein to injure, kill, or violate the constitutional rights of anyone.'

ICE has disputed the account. A spokesperson told the agency's account that Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle. ICE called the indictment a 'political stunt' and said allegations that the officer intentionally struck Parra Hernandez are 'reckless and false'. The agency also argued that local officials do not have the authority to investigate federal officers acting in the course of their duties.

Teare said ICE agents failed to cooperate with the investigation, including by removing the Jeep before local investigators could examine it for evidence. He also questioned the training Morales, a recent appointment to ICE, had received.

This indictment is one of few instances in which a federal immigration officer has faced criminal charges during President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Teare's office is also investigating a fatal shooting by ICE in Houston in July of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an immigrant who was not the intended target. In January, ICE officer Christian Castro was charged with assault and falsely reporting a crime after shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man in Minnesota.

ICE officer indicted for hitting man with vehicle in Texas
Image: UPI

Comments (0)

How it is being reported

In this story: Mario Alberto Morales · Miguel Parra Hernandez · Sean Teare · Immigration and Customs Enforcement · Harris County · Houston · Texas

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log