A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has been indicted in Texas after allegedly driving his vehicle into an immigrant during an enforcement operation in Houston.
According to NBC News, a Harris County grand jury charged Mario Alberto Morales, 33, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Friday.
The charge follows an incident on 10 October in which Miguel Parra Hernandez was struck by an ICE vehicle, leaving him with serious hip, leg and ankle injuries, including a broken leg.
ICE initially claimed Parra “ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck”.
However, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare alleged that the agent deliberately hit Parra after investigators reviewed surveillance footage from nearby businesses and witnesses.
ICE previously rejected claims that the collision was intentional, describing them as “reckless” and “false.”
Video obtained by NBC’s Houston affiliate KPRC reportedly shows an unmarked vehicle crossing a road median before swerving towards Parra.
The Department of Homeland Security previously placed an officer on administrative leave following the incident.
Parra’s lawyer said he has lived in the United States for 34 years and has no criminal record.
ICE said its operation was targeting another man, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes. However, his daughter reportedly told immigration advocates that he died in 2017.
The indictment comes amid questions about the circumstances surrounding the operation.
