Harris County Grand Jury Indicts ICE Agent in Vehicle Strike Case

A Harris County grand jury has indicted Mario Alberto Morales, a 33-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The legal action stems from an incident in which Morales struck 48-year-old construction worker Miguel Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment on Friday. Teare stated that surveillance footage captured Parra-Hernandez and another individual jumping from a white truck and running as a dark SUV pursued them. The footage shows the SUV striking Parra-Hernandez during the chase.

Parra-Hernandez, whom the government alleges is undocumented, remains in ICE custody. He is recovering from severe leg injuries sustained in the collision at a rehabilitation center.

ICE released a statement to KHOU 11 disputing the prosecution. The agency called the case a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians and claimed that federal officers acting in the course of their duties can only be investigated by other federal agencies. ICE further described allegations that the strike was intentional as reckless and false, asserting that its officers are held to high standards of professionalism.

Teare noted that Morales was hired by ICE in August 2025 as a surge hire. Teare said he reviewed thousands of job applications and resumes from law enforcement officers in the state and did not recognize any agency that would have hired someone with Morales' background. Teare declined to provide specific details about what constituted that troubled past.

According to KHOU 11, Morales is also known as Bam and is a former corrections officer, pastor, contracted law enforcement officer, and military veteran. His attorney and a campaign questionnaire indicate he filed to run for the 34th Congressional District last year. He announced his candidacy as a Republican in March but dropped out in August 2025, before the March 2026 primary.

This is not the first time a federal agent has faced charges in Texas. In September, federal prosecutors charged ICE officer Christian Castro with assault and making false statements regarding the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg in Minneapolis and initially claimed the victim and another man had attacked him. Those charges were later dropped.