A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer has been indicted on a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly striking a man with his vehicle during a pursuit in Texas.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced that a grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales following an incident on October 10. Morales is accused of running over Miguel Parra-Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican national who has lived in Texas for more than three decades without legal documentation, leaving him with multiple leg fractures and a hip injury.
According to the prosecution, Parra-Hernandez and another occupant fled their vehicle on foot before Morales “aggressively steered his vehicle” into the Mexican national. Teare stated at a Houston press conference that Parra-Hernandez had no criminal record and was not subject to a deportation order.
“Not only did he hit Mr. Hernandez, he ran over both of his legs, leaving him seriously injured and hospitalized to this day,” Teare said. The prosecutor noted that the ICE operation originally targeted a man named Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, who has apparently been dead for nine years.
Following the incident, Morales called 911 to report that Parra-Hernandez had hit his car. Initially, an ICE spokesperson claimed that the victim had run in front of the agent’s vehicle.
Following the indictment, ICE rejected the grand jury’s findings, calling the charges “nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians.” An agency spokesperson described the allegations as “reckless and false,” asserting that federal officers are held to the highest standards of professionalism and can only be investigated by other federal agencies.
District Attorney Teare stressed his respect for law enforcement but emphasized that undocumented individuals who commit violent crimes should be deported. He expressed hope that the prosecution would deliver justice for Parra-Hernandez and his family, sending a “loud and clear message to every ICE officer who feels that they have a free pass to terrorize our streets.”
If convicted of the second-degree felony, Morales faces a potential sentence of two to twenty years in prison.
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