ICE officer is indicted after striking, injuring immigrant with his vehicle in Houston

Key Points:

• A Texas grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly driving his vehicle into Miguel Parra Hernandez, who was on foot, causing serious injuries including a broken leg.
• The indictment marks the first of an immigration agent in Texas, with Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare stating the evidence shows Morales deliberately ran over Parra, contradicting ICE's claim that Parra ran in front of the vehicle.
• ICE criticized the indictment as a political stunt and argued that only federal agencies have authority to investigate federal officers, a claim disputed by Teare.
• Security footage shows Morales’ vehicle swerving toward Parra after Parra and another man exited a truck and ran, supporting the DA’s assertion of intentional harm.
• Parra, who has lived in the U.S. for 34 years and has no criminal record, was not the target of the ICE operation, which aimed to arrest another individual, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes.