A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been charged with allegedly committing a felony Assaulting a man with a vehicle in Houston earlier this month, the Texas district attorney announced Friday.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Teare said that if convicted, he would be sentenced to 2 to 20 years in prison.
Till accused Morales of beating Miguel Parra-Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican citizen who the district attorney said had lived in Texas for more than 30 years without any documents. Teale said Parra-Hernandez had no criminal record and there was no deportation order against him at the time of the incident.
The district attorney said Parra-Hernandez, who is in ICE custody, missed a court date for deportation proceedings because he was unable to leave the rehabilitation facility where he was recovering.
Thiel expected Morales to be taken into custody soon, but probably not on Friday. Thiel said prosecutors have been in contact with Morales’ attorneys.
On October 10, Morales pursued a car driven by Parra-Hernandez. During the pursuit, Parra-Hernandez and another person fled the vehicle on foot. At Friday’s news conference, a video was played showing the moment Till said Morales hit Parra-Hernandez with his car.
Footage from Morales’ body camera that Till said showed Parra-Hernandez groaning in pain on the ground after being struck by the vehicle, which the district attorney described as a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Parra-Hernandez suffered a broken leg in the incident.
“Like, I just came in and I hit him with my car,” the officer wearing a body camera tells others in the video.
After the incident, an ICE spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News that Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle.
“Morales aggressively drove his vehicle into Parra-Hernandez,” Thiel said Friday. He also said Morales stepped on Parra-Hernandez’s legs.
In a recording played at the news conference, Morales called 911 for an ambulance, and Parra-Hernandez’s screams could be heard in the background. He told dispatchers that Parra-Hernandez hit his car.
“We followed this guy and tried to pull him over and he jumped out of the car and I tried to go around him and he hit my car,” Morales said in the recording.
ICE told The Associated Press that the indictment of Morales was a “political stunt” and that local officials did not have the authority to investigate how federal officers carried out their duties.
“The allegation that ICE intentionally targeted Miguel Parra-Hernandez is reckless and false,” the agency said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Thiel said at a news conference that the district attorney’s office has “the utmost respect and admiration for law enforcement” and that his office will prosecute any officer who breaks the law.
“The ICE badge does not give you the right to harm, kill or violate anyone’s constitutional rights,” Thiel said. “I hope this prosecution does more than bring justice to the Parra-Hernandez family and Mr. Parra-Hernandez. I hope it also sends a loud and clear message to every ICE officer who thinks they can terrorize our streets at will. It’s time to stop, and if you don’t, you will be held accountable.”
Thiel noted that ICE has said agents are pursuing a man named Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, who the agency says is a Mexican national and undocumented immigrant. Thiel said Friday that Mendoza-Cervantes had apparently been dead for nine years.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images 