ICE officer is indicted after striking, injuring immigrant with his vehicle in Houston

A Texas grand jury has indicted an ICE officer for aggravated assault after he struck an immigrant with his vehicle in Houston. The incident, captured on body-camera footage, has sparked legal action and criticism from local authorities regarding the conduct of federal immigration agents.
Why it matters
This marks the first time an immigration agent has been indicted in Texas, highlighting ongoing tensions and legal scrutiny surrounding federal immigration enforcement practices.
A Texas grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, alleging he drove his vehicle into Miguel Parra Hernandez, who was on foot, earlier this month in Houston. The indictment of Morales, 33, was returned by a Harris County grand jury Friday morning, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said. It is the first time an immigration agent is indicted in Texas. ICE enforcement officer Christian Castro was charged in the January shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis in Minnesota. Teare said the charge is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years. “The evidence that we have in this case is as clear as any that I’ve ever prosecuted or investigated,” Teare said in a news conference Friday. Teare played newly released body-camera video that he said belonged to Morales.
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