Harris County DA Charges ICE Officer in Houston Car Collision
Prosecutors accuse an agent of ramming a fleeing construction worker while authorities question the identity of the suspect in the original search.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
A federal immigration officer faces criminal charges in Houston after prosecutors say he intentionally struck a fleeing man with his vehicle during a search operation. The Harris County District Attorney's office indicted Mario Alberto Morales on Friday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Morales was driving an unmarked black car on October 10 when it hit Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old construction worker from Mexico. Parra Hernandez was taken into custody with a broken leg following the collision.
The indictment marks a notable departure from recent patterns under the current administration's immigration enforcement strategy. While several encounters with federal agents have been investigated, few have resulted in formal criminal charges. The case is being led by District Attorney Sean Teare, a Democrat who is also investigating a fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder in July that sparked widespread protests in the city.
The conflict between the two accounts centers on the mechanics of the crash. ICE stated that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the vehicle and dismissed the accusation of an intentional strike as reckless. Teare's office countered that surveillance footage contradicts the agency's narrative. The video shows a Jeep Cherokee speeding over a median toward Parra Hernandez while he runs. Although another vehicle blocks the view of the impact, the footage captures the SUV inches from the man before showing him on the ground.
Disputes have also arisen regarding the target of the operation. ICE released a photo of Jose Mendoza-Cervantes and claimed he was the person sought that day. The agency stated that Mendoza-Cervantes was seen entering a vehicle with Parra Hernandez. Parra Hernandez's family said they had never heard of the name. FIEL, a local immigrant rights group, reported that Mendoza-Cervantes' daughter told them her father has been dead since 2017. She also stated his real name is Jose Hector Jimenez.
Teare's investigation found no evidence that Parra Hernandez and the identified suspect were in a vehicle together. ICE has not responded to claims that the target of the search has been deceased for nearly a decade. Parra Hernandez has lived in the United States for more than 30 years without authorization, according to FIEL.
Tensions between local prosecutors and federal authorities have deepened over procedural issues. Teare said the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not cooperated with investigators. He accused the agency of destroying evidence either intentionally or through gross negligence. The DA noted that the officer driving the SUV that struck Parra Hernandez fled the scene before the vehicle could be impounded.
This friction mirrors earlier conflicts. In July, Teare said DHS ignored requests for information after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, in his van. DHS claimed Salgado Araujo weaponized his vehicle before the officer fired in self-defense. Other passengers in the van disputed that account. Teare has not set a deadline for completing the investigation into that shooting. A witness to the July incident was seen entering a grand jury area in September.
