Grand Jury Indicts ICE Agent in Houston Over Vehicle Striking Incident

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced on Friday that a grand jury has indicted Mario Alberto Morales, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, for the second-degree felony offense of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Morales is accused of striking Miguel Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle on Oct. 10, an incident that broke the man's leg and ankle.

Teare made the announcement alongside Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Surveillance footage of the event appears to show Morales driving toward Parra-Hernandez while the man ran away from the vehicle and into a parking lot. Teare noted that the indictment occurred just 20 days after the initial incident. He stated that an ICE badge does not grant agents free rein to injure or violate constitutional rights. Teare expressed hope that the prosecution would send a clear message to officers who feel they have a free pass to terrorize streets.

ICE officials disputed the local prosecution. A spokesperson for the agency called the indictment a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians. The spokesperson asserted that federal officers acting in their duties can only be investigated by other federal agencies. Teare responded that this claim is patently false. Teare also played portions of a 911 call from the scene, where Morales can be heard stating that Parra-Hernandez is fine and that he was trying to get around him.

The case differs from another ongoing investigation into the shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent in early July. Teare said his office is at a tipping point in that investigation and is ready to bring charges to a grand jury. He attributed the faster timeline in the Parra-Hernandez case to the presence of body cameras, which he said were not present in the Salgado case due to advocacy from the victim's family and public outcry.

Morales has not yet been taken into custody. Teare said his office has contacted Morales' lawyer, but it remained unclear if the agent was still in the Houston area. Houston Public Media's attempts to reach Morales were unsuccessful. Indictments of federal law enforcement officers are rare and have previously led to legal disputes, such as the extradition battle between Minnesota and Texas involving an ICE agent who shot a Venezuelan man. Trump Administration officials have argued that federal officers possess a specific level of immunity from prosecution.