Harris County Grand Jury Indicts ICE Officer for Vehicle Assault

A Texas grand jury indicted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Mario Alberto Morales on Friday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a charge that carries a potential prison sentence of two to 20 years.

The indictment was handed up by a Harris County grand jury on the morning of October 30. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the decision in a news conference, describing the evidence as the clearest he has encountered in his career.

Teare presented newly released body camera footage from Morales, edited alongside security video from a local business. The footage shows Morales turning his steering wheel left, followed by a sound of impact. Miguel Parra Hernandez is seen on the ground with his face on the pavement. Morales flips Parra over, and Parra shouts in Spanish that he was run over. Morales responds that Parra hit the car and suggests placing him in the vehicle.

Parra sustained injuries to his hip, leg, and ankle, including a broken leg, according to his family and representatives. He remains in a rehabilitation facility under ICE custody. The collision occurred on October 10 during a targeted enforcement operation aimed at arresting Jose Mendoza-Cervantes.

ICE initially stated in a written release that Parra ran in front of the vehicle. Following the review of bystander and business video by the district attorney's office, prosecutors accused Morales of deliberately striking Parra. ICE labeled those allegations reckless and false. In an emailed statement after the indictment, an ICE spokesperson called the charge a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians, arguing that only federal agencies can investigate federal officers on duty.

Teare, a Democrat, rejected that claim at the press conference. He said an ICE badge does not grant officers the freedom to injure or violate constitutional rights. Teare also noted that Morales was hired by ICE in August 2025, despite his lack of prior law enforcement experience. Teare said he had not seen another agency hire someone with that specific background.

Morales' attorney, David A. Lindenmuth, stated that his client had not yet reviewed the indictment but described the charge as a crime created out of thin air. Lindenmuth argued that Morales was reacting to an oncoming vehicle that was stopped next to a blue dumpster. He said Morales had to choose between a head-on collision with the truck or deviating his path, calling the situation a catch-22. Lindenmuth noted that Morales served as a military police officer and paratrooper before joining ICE.

Two other men were in the ICE vehicle at the time of the crash. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the men were handcuffed and shackled, a practice he said no law enforcement agency would typically accept. The district attorney's office interviewed one of the men, Jose Presa Canada, near the U.S.-Mexico border, while the other, Luis Delfin Martinez, was detained immediately. Teare said his team is monitoring their locations closely.

Parra has lived in the United States for 34 years and has no criminal record, according to his attorney. He was performing stucco work when struck. DHS stated he was in the country without legal permission. ICE had said it was not targeting Parra, but Mendoza-Cervantes' daughter told local advocates her father had died in 2017.

Teare's office is also investigating the July fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer during a vehicle stop. Teare said the body cameras in the Parra case allowed investigators to act quickly. He said the office remains focused on concluding the Salgado investigation thoroughly.