One federal officer charged in Houston car strike case

Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, now faces a second-degree felony charge after a Harris County grand jury indicted Mario Alberto Morales, a 33-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Parra Hernandez, a Mexican construction worker, suffered a broken leg during the incident and remains in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility.

The encounter occurred on Oct. 10 in a Houston parking lot. Morales was driving an unmarked SUV when he struck Parra Hernandez, who was running away during a pursuit. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment on Friday. He played body camera footage showing Morales making sharp steering maneuvers before the vehicle shook. The video also captures Morales getting out of the car and saying, “I was coming in and I hit him with the car.”

ICE initially claimed Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle. Teare said surveillance video contradicts that account, showing a Jeep Cherokee speeding over a median toward the worker. Teare stated the evidence is as clear as any he has prosecuted. Morales’ attorney, David Lindenmuth, argued the incident was an accident and accused Teare of seeking political gain. Lindenmuth noted Morales served as an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer for just over a year.

The prosecution comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration actions. Morales is one of a small number of federal officers facing criminal charges during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Another incident involves a fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer in July. Teare said the Department of Homeland Security has not cooperated with his investigation into that case.

ICE asserted that local officials lack authority to investigate federal officers acting on duty. The agency called allegations of an intentional strike reckless and false. ICE also identified Jose Mendoza-Cervantes as the target of the Oct. 10 operation. Parra Hernandez’s family said they had never heard of Mendoza-Cervantes. An immigrant rights group working with the family reported that Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter said her father died in 2017. ICE has not responded to that claim.

Teare’s office has not found that Parra Hernandez and Mendoza-Cervantes were in a vehicle together, contrary to ICE’s statement. Teare accused ICE of destroying evidence in the Parra Hernandez case. Morales is not currently in custody, and a warrant for his arrest will be issued.

Parra Hernandez has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years. According to Teare, the man did not have a deportation order or a criminal background.