By Anna Wilder and Lekan Oyekanmi
HOUSTON — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally ramming his car into a Mexican construction worker in Houston was charged Friday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, prosecutors said.
The Harris County District Attorney’s office says Mario Alberto Morales was behind the wheel of an unmarked black vehicle on Oct. 10 when it struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, who was running away. Parra Hernandez was later placed in custody with a broken leg.
Few federal officers during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown have faced criminal charges for their actions in the field, although some encounters have come under investigation.
Trending
The case in Houston was brought by District Attorney Sean Teare, a Democrat, who is also investigating the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder in July that set off protests in the nation’s fourth-largest city.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment about the indictment charging Morales.
ICE has said Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the car and called accusations that the officer intentionally struck him false and “reckless.” Teare has said the surveillance footage clearly contradicts the ICE account.
In the video, a Jeep Cherokee speeds over a median and drives toward Parra Hernandez as he runs away. The video does not show the car hitting him — that view is blocked by another vehicle — but it shows the SUV inches away from him. The footage then shows Parra Hernandez on the ground.
Family Says ICE Was Looking for a Dead Person During the Operation
Other aspects of ICE’s account have also been called into question.
ICE released a photo of another man, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, and said he was the target of the operation that day and was seen entering a vehicle with Parra Hernandez. Family members of Parra Hernandez said they had never heard of him. FIEL, an immigrant rights group in Houston, said Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter told them her father has been dead since 2017. She also said his real name is Jose Hector Jimenez.
Teare’s office has also said its investigation has not found that Parra Hernandez and the man ICE identified as Mendoza-Cervantes were in a vehicle together, contrary to ICE’s statement.
ICE has not responded to claims that the suspect they were looking for has been dead for nearly a decade.
Parra Hernandez has been in the country for more than 30 years. He was living in the U.S. without authorization, according to FIEL, which has been working with his family.
Fatal Summer Houston Shooting Also Under Investigation
Teare said the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not cooperated with his investigators and accused ICE of destroying evidence “either intentionally or through gross negligence.” He said the ICE officer who drove the SUV that struck Parra Hernandez fled the scene before the vehicle could be impounded.
In July, Teare said DHS also ignored his requests for information after an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in his van. DHS has said Salgado Araujo had “weaponized his vehicle” before the shooting and that an officer fired in self-defense. Other passengers in the van have disputed that account.
Teare has not given a timetable for when his office’s investigation into the shooting will be complete. In September, a witness to the shooting was seen entering a courthouse area reserved for grand jury proceedings.
Wilder reported from Austin.
Author
