HOUSTON (AP) — Mario Alberto Morales, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his alleged role in intentionally ramming his car into Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican construction worker. The incident occurred on October 10 in Houston, Texas, while Parra Hernandez was reportedly trying to flee from the vehicle. Following the collision, Parra Hernandez was taken into custody with a broken leg.
The Harris County District Attorney's office, led by Democrat Sean Teare, is pursuing the case against Morales. Notably, this case comes amidst ongoing scrutiny of federal officers’ actions during the immigration crackdown initiated under President Donald Trump, during which few federal agents have faced criminal charges. Teare is simultaneously investigating another incident involving the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder in July, which sparked protests in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city.
According to ICE, Parra Hernandez allegedly stepped directly in front of Morales’s vehicle, leading them to assert that the accusations against him are fabricated and reckless. However, surveillance footage purportedly contradicts ICE’s claims. The video captures a Jeep Cherokee speeding over a median and heading towards Parra Hernandez as he attempts to escape. Although the video does not show the moment of impact due to obstruction by another vehicle, it clearly depicts the car perilously close to him, followed by footage of him on the ground.
Adding to the controversy, ICE had previously announced that a different individual, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, was the target of the operation on that day and claimed he was seen entering a car with Parra Hernandez. Family members of Parra Hernandez expressed unfamiliarity with Mendoza-Cervantes. Furthermore, FIEL, an immigrant rights organization based in Houston, reported that Mendoza-Cervantes’s daughter informed them that her father had been deceased since 2017. They also indicated that his actual name is Jose Hector Jimenez.
The Harris County prosecutors have stated that their investigations have yet to find any evidence suggesting that Parra Hernandez and the man identified by ICE as Mendoza-Cervantes were ever in the same vehicle, directly contradicting ICE’s assertions. Notably, ICE has not addressed allegations regarding the deceased status of the person they were supposedly seeking.
Parra Hernandez has been residing in the United States without authorization for over 30 years, as confirmed by FIEL, who is currently working closely with his family. Furthermore, Teare publicly criticized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for its lack of cooperation during his investigation, claiming that ICE may have either intentionally destroyed evidence or done so out of gross negligence. He noted that the officer responsible for the vehicle that hit Parra Hernandez left the scene before law enforcement could secure the car for evidence collection.
This incident follows another critical case involving the fatal shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer in July. DHS contended that Salgado Araujo had “weaponized his vehicle” against the officers before he was shot, claiming self-defense. However, this assertion has been disputed by other passengers present in the van during the encounter.
Teare has not provided a timeline for the completion of the investigation into the shooting incident. As of September, a witness was observed entering a courthouse designated for grand jury proceedings related to the case, indicating ongoing legal developments in both situations.
Wilder reported from Austin.
Wilder is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local news
