Federal immigration authorities deny the collision was intentional, while local prosecutors say video evidence supports an aggravated-assault charge
By Midtown Times Staff
HOUSTON (Midtown Times) — A federal immigration officer has been indicted on a felony charge after allegedly driving an unmarked SUV into a man fleeing an enforcement operation in Houston.
A Harris County grand jury charged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Mario Alberto Morales, 33, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors are treating the SUV as the alleged weapon.
The charge stems from an Oct. 10 encounter involving Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican immigrant. According to prosecutors, Morales pursued Parra Hernandez through a shopping-center parking lot before striking him with a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Parra Hernandez suffered multiple fractures and other serious injuries. He remains in federal custody while receiving treatment at a rehabilitation facility.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said surveillance and body-camera recordings contradict ICE’s initial account that Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle. Investigators allege the footage shows the SUV changing direction and accelerating toward him as he ran away.
A recording played during a news conference captured Morales telling another officer that he had hit the man with his vehicle. In a subsequent 911 call, however, Morales reportedly said he had attempted to drive around Parra Hernandez before the man struck the SUV.
Prosecutors said Parra Hernandez was not the person ICE originally intended to arrest. The agency has maintained that agents were searching for another man who was believed to be traveling in the same pickup truck, but attorneys and advocates have disputed that account.
Teare also questioned Morales’ qualifications and the training he received after joining ICE during a large federal recruitment campaign in 2025. He did not publicly provide details about the agent’s previous employment history.
ICE rejected the allegation that Morales deliberately struck Parra Hernandez, calling the indictment politically motivated. The agency has also argued that state and local authorities lack jurisdiction to prosecute a federal officer for conduct undertaken as part of his official duties.
Morales’ attorney, David Lindenmuth, described the collision as an accident and accused the district attorney of pursuing the case for political advantage. Morales is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The prosecution could face significant legal obstacles. Under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, federal officers may be protected from state criminal charges when their actions are found to have been necessary and reasonable in carrying out federal responsibilities. A court will ultimately determine whether that protection applies.
Morales was not in custody when the indictment was announced. His attorney said he was expected to surrender after the case was assigned to a court.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is separately reviewing other encounters involving federal immigration agents, including the fatal shooting of a man during a Houston enforcement operation in July.
