A federal immigration agent has been indicted on a felony charge for allegedly running over a longtime Texas resident with his vehicle during a pursuit — a rare criminal prosecution of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, brought by local authorities over the objection of the federal government.
A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, District Attorney Sean Teare announced at a news conference in Houston, according to the BBC, in reporting by Nardine Saad. The indictment was confirmed by the Associated Press and widely reported by U.S. outlets. If convicted of the second-degree felony, Morales faces between two and 20 years in prison. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The charge stems from the morning of October 10. According to Teare, Morales was pursuing a vehicle driven by Miguel Parra-Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican national who has lived in Texas for more than 30 years without legal status. Parra-Hernandez and another occupant got out and fled on foot, the prosecutor said, and Morales then “aggressively steered his vehicle” into him.
“Not only did he hit Mr. Hernandez, but he also ran over both of his legs, leaving him seriously injured and hospitalised to this day,” Teare said, describing multiple leg fractures and a hip injury. After the collision, the district attorney said, Morales called 911 to report that Parra-Hernandez had hit his car.
Teare emphasized that Parra-Hernandez had no criminal record and was not subject to a deportation order. In further detail, the prosecutor said the agents had apparently been pursuing a different man altogether — Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, a Mexican national described as an undocumented immigrant who, by Teare’s account, has been dead for nine years.
ICE dismissed the indictment in forceful terms.
“This is nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC. “Allegations that ICE struck Miguel Parra-Hernandez intentionally are RECKLESS and FALSE.” The spokesperson said ICE personnel “are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct.” Immediately after the incident, ICE had told CBS News that Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the agent’s vehicle.
The agency also raised a jurisdictional objection that could shape what happens next, arguing that federal officers acting in the course of their duties may be investigated only by other federal agencies, and that local governments lack the authority to conduct such an investigation. A grand jury — a panel of citizens that decides whether there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges — nonetheless returned the indictment.
Teare, who said he has the utmost respect for law enforcement and believes undocumented immigrants who are violent felons should be deported, framed the prosecution as a limit on how enforcement is carried out rather than an attack on it. He said he hoped the case would deliver justice for Parra-Hernandez and his family and send “a loud and clear message to every ICE officer who feels that they have a free pass to terrorise our streets.”
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Source: BBC News
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