ICE Officer Indicted by Texas Grand Jury for Allegedly Running Over Man During Operation

A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer has been indicted by a grand jury in Texas on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The officer, Mario Alberto Morales, is accused of deliberately running over a Mexican construction worker, 48-year-old Miguel Parra-Hernandez, during an operation in Houston on October 10. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the charges on Friday.

Parra-Hernandez, an immigrant who has resided in Harris County for over 30 years and has no criminal record, was reportedly running away from federal agents when he was struck by an unmarked black Jeep Cherokee in a car park near Clay Road and Highway 6. He sustained multiple fractures to his right leg and an ankle injury requiring surgery.

The indictment follows a disagreement between local prosecutors and federal authorities regarding the incident. ICE has asserted that Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle and has dismissed allegations of intentional assault as "reckless and false." However, District Attorney Teare stated that surveillance video contradicts ICE's account, showing the SUV crossing a median and pursuing Parra-Hernandez as he fled. While the exact moment of impact is obscured by another vehicle, the video shows Parra-Hernandez on the ground shortly after.

Body-camera footage released on Friday also captured Morales acknowledging that he struck Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle. Teare further accused federal authorities of hindering the investigation, including by removing the Jeep before local investigators could access it for evidence. A search warrant obtained by local media indicated that investigators had not been granted access to the vehicle as of October 23.

The case has also raised questions about the operation's objective. ICE stated that agents were searching for Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom they believed to be traveling with Parra-Hernandez. However, Mendoza-Cervantes's daughter informed The New York Times that her father passed away in 2017. Parra-Hernandez's family has also disputed any acquaintance between the two men.

This indictment of Morales occurs as the Harris County District Attorney’s Office continues its investigation into the fatal shooting of another Mexican national, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, on July 7. In that incident, ICE officer Gregory Feathers is accused of firing at the vehicle Salgado Araujo was driving. Federal authorities claim the officer acted in self-defense, a claim disputed by surviving passengers in the vehicle.