ICE Agent Indicted in Texas for Aggravated Assault After Hitting Immigrant with SUV

A Harris County grand jury on Friday indicted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Mario Alberto Morales, 33, on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors say the indictment stems from an October 10 incident in northwest Houston in which Morales allegedly steered his Jeep Grand Cherokee into Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican immigrant, causing a broken leg.

District Attorney Sean Teare told a news conference that Morales "aggressively" drove his vehicle into the victim during a chase, adding that the case was "as clear as any" he had prosecuted. > "As long as I am district attorney, this office will prosecute any law enforcement officer who violates the law," Teare said. > "An ICE badge does not give you free reign to injure, kill, or violate the constitutional rights of anyone."

Morales, a military veteran and pastor, was placed on administrative leave by ICE after the incident. His attorney, David Lindenmuth, described the indictment as a "political prosecution" and argued the crash was accidental, saying Morales swerved to avoid an idling truck. Lindenmuth also suggested the case might be moved to federal court.

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz in Houston said the district attorney appeared to be targeting the agent, calling the indictment a "political stunt" by "Houston sanctuary politicians." An ICE spokesperson echoed that characterization, calling the allegations that Morales intentionally hit the victim "reckless and false."

The crash occurred around 7:30 a.m. in a strip-mall parking lot at Texas 6 and Clay Road. Body-camera footage released by the prosecutor’s office shows Morales pursuing occupants of a pickup truck that had stopped on the wrong side of the road. After the occupants fled on foot, Morales jumped a median and entered the parking lot, where he struck Parra Hernandez. Surveillance video suggested the impact occurred at roughly 20-25 mph.

After the collision, Morales exited his vehicle and asked the injured man in Spanish where the other suspect was, then instructed him to show his hand. Parra Hernandez, who had lived in Houston for decades without a criminal record, was taken to a rehabilitation facility under ICE supervision.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who attended the press conference, said the indictment demonstrates the county’s commitment to holding law-enforcement officers accountable, emphasizing that “our responsibility is to follow the facts, uphold the law, and do what is right.”

The indictment marks a rare instance of a state prosecutor charging a federal ICE officer for actions taken in the line of duty, though similar cases have occurred elsewhere, including a recent indictment of an ICE agent in Minneapolis for assault and false statements.