Texas grand jury indicts ICE officer accused of running over man in Houston

What the report says

A Texas grand jury has indicted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Mario Alberto Morales in connection with an October 10 incident in Houston, according to Al Jazeera citing Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare. Morales faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after local prosecutors said he allegedly struck 48-year-old Miguel Parra-Hernandez with an SUV during an immigration operation in the city.

The case centers on a confrontation in a car park near Clay Road and Highway 6, where investigators say Parra-Hernandez was running from federal agents when an unmarked black Jeep Cherokee hit him. Parra-Hernandez, a Mexican construction worker who has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years and has no criminal record, suffered serious leg injuries that required surgery, the report said.

Al Jazeera reported that ICE disputes the allegation that Morales intentionally ran over Parra-Hernandez, saying the man ran in front of the vehicle and describing the claim as false. Teare, however, said surveillance footage supports the local investigation, and authorities also released body-camera video in which Morales can be heard acknowledging he struck Parra-Hernandez. Local prosecutors have also accused federal authorities of limiting access to the vehicle and otherwise not cooperating fully.

The indictment comes amid broader scrutiny of immigration enforcement in Texas under President Donald Trump’s crackdown, with officials noting that federal criminal charges against immigration officers have been uncommon. The report also said the Harris County district attorney’s office is separately investigating another fatal shooting involving an ICE officer in Houston earlier this year.