ICE officer with one year on the job indicted in Texas for allegedly running over man

An officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) turned himself in Monday after a grand jury indicted him for allegedly running over a man who was on foot. Mario Alberto Morales, 33, was released on a $30,000 bond after a hearing in Harris County, Texas ¹. He was indicted Friday on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon ¹.

An indictment is a charge, not a conviction. Under Texas law, the offense carries a sentence of 2 to 20 years in prison if a person is convicted ².

On tapeABC7 · Oct 31

▶2:43

What prosecutors say happened

The Oct. 10 incident involving Morales and Miguel Parra Hernandez was captured by several cameras ¹. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the footage led investigators to believe Morales deliberately ran over Parra to stop him during a chase ¹. Parra, 48, suffered a broken leg, and he is now in rehabilitation overseen by ICE officers ¹².

Teare said surveillance video contradicts ICE's claim that Parra stepped in front of the vehicle ². He also said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE's parent agency, did not cooperate with investigators ². The DA's office says two handcuffed arrestees were in the back of Morales' car without seat belts when it hit Parra ¹.

From Channel GOPDA to ICE officers: Your badge isn't a free passHarris County District Attorney Sean Tier · 133 plays · captioned, with the source named

The defense and ICE respond

Morales' attorney, David Lindenmuth, said the strike was accidental and happened as Morales reacted to avoid hitting a car in front of him ¹. He accused the DA of character assassination ¹. An ICE spokesperson said any claim that the agency struck Parra on purpose is reckless and false ¹.

The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,

The hiring surge

Morales was hired by ICE in August 2025 ¹. His work record is now drawing attention. He resigned in 2018 from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice while on probation for falsification of records, after documenting security rounds as completed when they had not been done, a spokeswoman for that agency said ¹.

On tapeKHOU 11 · Oct 30

▶2:22

Teare said that after seeing the record, he was “not familiar with a single agency that would have hired” Morales ¹. His lawyer says Morales had more training than other hires ¹.

Last year, several DHS officials told NBC News that some ICE recruits failed to meet hiring standards. Problems included disqualifying criminal backgrounds and missing physical or academic requirements ¹. DHS said at the time that most new recruits are former law enforcement officers ¹. This month, the agency said it would retrain thousands of officers who got expedited training during the surge ¹.

every one of those people, whether or not they had gotten into any trouble or not, would be taken off the street and sent back through the full academy.

What happens next

Morales is the first ICE agent indicted in Texas ¹. In Minnesota, prosecutors charged ICE officer Christian Castro in May over a January shooting, and he was indicted on federal charges in September for making false statements to investigators ¹.

Axios reported that Morales could try to move the case to federal court and argue that federal law shields him from state prosecution. Teare said he is prepared to fight that ².

That matters because the administration raced to add agents to meet a mass deportation pledge. The pattern is that questions about screening and training are now surfacing in criminal courts, on the same day voters head to the polls ¹.

The Record

1. Aug 1, 2025Morales was hired by ICE in August 2025, a little over a year before the incident ¹.
2. Oct 10, 2026Morales' vehicle hit Miguel Parra Hernandez during a chase in Houston, and several cameras captured it ¹.
3. Oct 30, 2026A Harris County grand jury indicted Morales on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon ¹².
4. Nov 2, 2026Morales turned himself in and was released on a $30,000 bond ¹.

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<h2>ICE officer with one year on the job indicted in Texas for allegedly running over man</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ice-officer-with-one-year-on-the-job-indicted-in-texas-for-allegedly-running-over">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 2, 2026.</em></p> <p>An officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) turned himself in Monday after a grand jury indicted him for allegedly running over a man who was on foot. Mario Alberto Morales, 33, was released on a $30,000 bond after a hearing in Harris County, Texas . He was indicted Friday on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon .</p> <p>An indictment is a charge, not a conviction. Under Texas law, the offense carries a sentence of 2 to 20 years in prison if a person is convicted .</p> <h2>What prosecutors say happened</h2> <p>The Oct. 10 incident involving Morales and Miguel Parra Hernandez was captured by several cameras . Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the footage led investigators to believe Morales deliberately ran over Parra to stop him during a chase . Parra, 48, suffered a broken leg, and he is now in rehabilitation overseen by ICE officers .</p> <p>Teare said surveillance video contradicts ICE&#39;s claim that Parra stepped in front of the vehicle . He also said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE&#39;s parent agency, did not cooperate with investigators . The DA&#39;s office says two handcuffed arrestees were in the back of Morales&#39; car without seat belts when it hit Parra .</p> <h2>The defense and ICE respond</h2> <p>Morales&#39; attorney, David Lindenmuth, said the strike was accidental and happened as Morales reacted to avoid hitting a car in front of him . He accused the DA of character assassination . An ICE spokesperson said any claim that the agency struck Parra on purpose is reckless and false .</p> <blockquote><p>The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,</p><p>&mdash; ICE spokesperson, Immigration and Customs Enforcement</p></blockquote> <h2>The hiring surge</h2> <p>Morales was hired by ICE in August 2025 . His work record is now drawing attention. He resigned in 2018 from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice while on probation for falsification of records, after documenting security rounds as completed when they had not been done, a spokeswoman for that agency said .</p> <p>Teare said that after seeing the record, he was “not familiar with a single agency that would have hired” Morales . His lawyer says Morales had more training than other hires .</p> <p>Last year, several DHS officials told NBC News that some ICE recruits failed to meet hiring standards. Problems included disqualifying criminal backgrounds and missing physical or academic requirements . DHS said at the time that most new recruits are former law enforcement officers . This month, the agency said it would retrain thousands of officers who got expedited training during the surge .</p> <blockquote><p>every one of those people, whether or not they had gotten into any trouble or not, would be taken off the street and sent back through the full academy.</p><p>&mdash; Sean Teare, Harris County District Attorney, Texas</p></blockquote> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Morales is the first ICE agent indicted in Texas . In Minnesota, prosecutors charged ICE officer Christian Castro in May over a January shooting, and he was indicted on federal charges in September for making false statements to investigators .</p> <p>Axios reported that Morales could try to move the case to federal court and argue that federal law shields him from state prosecution. Teare said he is prepared to fight that .</p> <p>That matters because the administration raced to add agents to meet a mass deportation pledge. The pattern is that questions about screening and training are now surfacing in criminal courts, on the same day voters head to the polls .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ice-officer-with-one-year-on-the-job-indicted-in-texas-for-allegedly-running-over">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/ice-officer-with-one-year-on-the-job-indicted-in-texas-for-allegedly-running-over.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. NBC News, “Indicted ICE officer had been on the job a little over a year as Trump's hiring surge comes under scrutiny” (2026-11-03). nbcnews.com/news/us-news/indicted-ice-officer-job-little-yea
2. ABC News (via ABC News 4), “ICE officer charged after allegedly striking fleeing Houston man with SUV” (2026-10-30). abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/ice-immigration-and-customs-o

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