Texas grand jury indicts ICE agent accused of using SUV as weapon

ICE agent Mario Alberto Morales indicted for aggravated assault in Houston

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3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

ICE "surge hire" indicted after hitting man with SUV

* Josephine Walker

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!Illustration of an ICE agent with ballot elements in the background

*Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images*

A Texas grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales with a charge of second-degree aggravated assault Friday after prosecutors said he deliberately drove his SUV into a fleeing immigrant in early October.

**Why it matters:** This may be the first time an ICE agent has ever been indicted in Texas, making it a rare case of a federal immigration officer facing state charges.

**What they're saying:** Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the grand jury's charge of second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, namely a motor vehicle.

* Morales faces two to 20 years if convicted, Teare said.
* "Just because you have an ICE badge or any badge, if you are in Harris County and you are violating our community members' constitutional rights, there will be repercussions," he said.

**Catch up quick:** Morales struck Miguel Parra Hernandez on Oct. 10 as Parra Hernandez fled on foot.

* Parra Hernandez, a Mexican national who has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years, had no criminal record and no pending immigration proceedings against him before the incident, Teare said.
* ICE has said Morales and other agents were looking for a different man identified as a deportation target, but that man's relatives say he died nearly a decade ago.
* Teare said Parra Hernandez is still rehabilitating from his injuries but is in ICE custody.

**The other side:** An ICE spokesperson called the indictment "nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians" in a statement to Axios.

* "Federal officers acting in the course of their duties can only be investigated by other Federal agencies. Local governments do not have the authority to run such an investigation."
* "Allegations that ICE struck Miguel Parra-Hernandez intentionally are RECKLESS and FALSE. 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."

**Zoom out:** Teare said Morales was among the "surge hires" as part of efforts to speed up President Trump's mass deportation agenda.

* The DA declined to go into detail about the agent's prior work history, but said he could "unequivocally tell you that I've reviewed 1000s of job applications and resumes for law enforcement officers from around the state, and I'm not familiar with a single agency that would have hired this person based on his past."
* He also said he had "concerns about a number of the individuals that were hired during that surge" based on the investigation, and "concerns about the length of time that they're trained, and about what that training entails."

**What we're watching:** Morales could attempt to move the case to federal court and argue federal law shields him from state prosecution.

* Teare said he was prepared to litigate such a move.

**Go deeper: Questions about Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's killing by ICE remain - Axios Houston**

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