ICE officer indicted in Houston after SUV struck fleeing worker

A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, indicted a US immigration officer on Friday, 30 October, on a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, after his unmarked SUV struck a fleeing construction worker in Houston. The officer, Mario Alberto Morales, is accused of deliberately driving into the man during an immigration operation on 10 October. An indictment is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.

The man who was hit, Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, a construction worker from Mexico, broke his leg and suffered hip and ankle injuries, prosecutors said. He is recovering at a rehabilitation facility. The incident happened in a car park near Clay Road and Highway 6 in north-west Houston. Surveillance video released earlier shows the SUV driving over a median and striking Parra Hernandez as he ran away. On Friday, District Attorney Sean Teare played body-camera video in which Morales can be heard saying, “I was coming in, and I hit him with the car.”

ICE disputes the charge. The agency says Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle, calls the claim that he was hit on purpose “reckless and false”, and describes the indictment as “a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians”. Morales’s lawyer, David Lindenmuth, says the crash was “clearly just an accident” and that officials “invented a crime out of thin air”. He said Morales would turn himself in at a courthouse on Monday, 2 November. NBC News reported Morales has been placed on administrative leave and this is the first indictment of an immigration agent in Texas.

ICE said it was looking for a different man, who his family says died in 2017.

Why it matters

The case is a rare test of whether local prosecutors can charge a federal immigration officer over force used during an operation. Most such cases have not led to charges, so the outcome could set a marker for holding federal officers to local law.

What happens next

Morales is expected to turn himself in on Monday, 2 November, when the case moves forward in the Harris County courts. The charge is a second-degree felony in Texas, carrying up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Sources

• https://www.europesays.com/3344598/ (Associated Press, 31 Oct 2026)
• https://www.themarysue.com/texas-grand-jury-charges-ice-officer-with-aggravated-assault-for-allegedly-swerving-suv-into-immigrant-got-hit-with-the-car-bro/ (The Mary Sue, citing NBC News, 31 Oct 2026)
• https://www.workersrights.news/ice-officer-indicted-houston-vehicle-strike/ (WorkersRights.News, citing NBC News, 30 Oct 2026)