The officer is accused of hitting a fleeing construction worker with his SUV during an immigration inspection.
Published October 30, 2026
A grand jury in Texas indicted a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer for allegedly intentionally running over a Mexican construction worker during an operation in Houston this month.
ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales will be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the Oct. 10 incident, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced Friday.
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Criminal charges against federal immigration agents were rare during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, but several encounters involving the officers prompted investigations.
Morales is accused of punching Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, an immigrant who has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years. Teale said Parra-Hernandez has no criminal history.
Investigators said Parra-Hernandez was on the run from federal agents when he was struck by an unmarked black Jeep Cherokee in a parking lot near Clay Road and Highway 6. He suffered multiple fractures in his right leg and an ankle injury that required surgery.
The charges follow a dispute between local prosecutors and federal authorities over what happened. ICE rejected as “reckless and false” claims that Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the car and that the officer intentionally hit him.
But Teale said surveillance video contradicts authorities’ account.
The SUV is seen crossing the median and chasing Parra-Hernandez as he flees. The moment of the collision was obscured by another vehicle, but the video shows a man falling to the ground shortly afterward.
Authorities also released body camera footage Friday. In the recording, Morales can be heard admitting to hitting Parra-Hernandez with his car.
Thayer also accused federal authorities of not cooperating with the investigation, including removing the Jeep before local investigators examined potential evidence.
Investigators were not allowed access to the vehicle as of October 23, according to a search warrant obtained by local media.
The incident also raises questions about the intended target of the operation. ICE said agents are searching for a man identified as Jose Mendoza Cervantes, who is believed to have been traveling with Parra-Hernandez.
However, Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter told The New York Times that her father died in 2017. Parra-Hernandez’s family disputes that the two knew each other.
Morales’ indictment comes as the Harris County District Attorney’s Office continues to investigate the July 7 shooting death of another Mexican national, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
ICE agent Gregory Feathers is accused of firing into the car Salgado Araujo was driving on his way to work in Houston.
Federal authorities said the officer acted in self-defense, a claim claimed by the surviving passengers of the vehicle dispute.
