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Immigration

Texas grand jury indicts ICE officer for hitting a man with his vehicle

Harris County's district attorney says the officer steered at the man on purpose, but ICE denies that and calls the case "a political stunt."

19 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from conservative outlets
Liberal9 outletsCenter8 outletsConservative2 outlets
Published 3 min read
Overview

A Harris County, Texas, officer Mario Alberto Morales, 33, on Friday, Oct. 30. The charge is aggravated assault, with his vehicle named as the deadly weapon. It is a second-degree carrying two to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

Sean Teare says Morales deliberately steered his vehicle into Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, on Oct. 10 in Houston while the man ran away on foot. Teare says Parra Hernandez, a Mexican national, has no criminal record or order. He suffered leg fractures and is recovering in a rehabilitation facility while in ICE custody.

Teare played body-camera, surveillance and 911 recordings at a news conference. ICE first said Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle. After the indictment, an ICE spokesperson called the intentional-strike allegation "reckless and false" and the case a "political stunt," adding that only federal agencies can investigate federal officers.

ICE said it was pursuing a man named Jose Mendoza-Cervantes. Teare says that man has apparently been dead for nine years, and his daughter says he died in 2017. Several outlets say no ICE officer in Texas had been indicted before.

Axios says this may be the first.

Three sides of the story

Liberal9 outlets

The Guardian, ABC News, MS NOW and CBS News center on Teare's presentation of the evidence. They describe the body-camera and surveillance video, the 911 call in which Morales says the man hit his car, and Teare's line that an ICE badge gives no "free rein." The Guardian gives the most room to Teare's broader criticism of ICE's conduct during Trump's second term.

It also reports Sheriff Ed Gonzalez saying two handcuffed detainees were inside the SUV and notes the separate Salgado Araujo investigation. ABC and the Guardian report that ICE deported at least two material witnesses over Teare's objection. CBS reports that Parra-Hernandez is missing deportation court dates because he cannot leave rehab.

MS NOW adds that local officials can, in rare cases, investigate federal agents, and cites the target's daughter speaking to The New York Times. All four quote the ICE statement calling the allegation "reckless and false" and the case a political stunt.

Center8 outlets

Newsweek, Straight Arrow News, Axios and UPI report the indictment of Morales. Axios and Newsweek note that state charges against federal immigration officers are uncommon, and both treat the case as the first, or possibly the first, indictment of an immigration agent in Texas. Newsweek adds a profile of Morales, including that his lawyer, David Lindenmuth, calls him a military veteran and pastor who plans to surrender.

It also notes that concerns about hiring and training have not been shown to have played a role in the incident, and that Morales has not been convicted. Straight Arrow quotes the exchange on video between Morales and Parra Hernandez, and reports Teare saying the case moved faster because of federal cooperation and body cameras. Axios flags a possible move to federal court, which Teare says he is ready to fight.

UPI gives a short account that includes ICE's earlier statement and Teare's rebuttal.

Conservative2 outlets

The Washington Examiner reports the indictment in a short news account. It describes the man as a pedestrian struck while the officer was searching for an illegal immigrant. It notes that Teare is a Democrat.

It says ICE claimed Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle while video shows the officer "may have" deliberately run over him, and that ICE denied the intent allegation. The piece states that Parra-Hernandez had lived in Houston for over 30 years without legal authorization even though he was not ICE's intended target. It relays the daughter's statement that the target died in 2017, recalls Christian Castro's earlier charge in Minnesota, and quotes Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) thanking Teare.

The Washington Times reports that a Harris County grand jury indicted the officer for aggravated assault, alleging he ran over a migrant on purpose while the man was fleeing.

All sources: 20 articles from 19 outlets

Liberal (9)

Center (9)

Conservative (2)

Related
Grand jury

A group of citizens who decide behind closed doors whether there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. It does not decide guilt. That is for the trial.

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Indictment

A formal criminal charge, usually approved by a grand jury. It is not a finding of guilt: the person is innocent until a court says otherwise.

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ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: the federal agency that arrests, detains and deports people who are in the US without legal status.

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Felony and misdemeanor

A felony is a serious crime that can bring more than a year in prison, and a conviction can cost the right to vote or some jobs. A misdemeanor is a lesser offence: up to a year in jail, a fine or probation.

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District attorney and US attorney

A district attorney is the local prosecutor, usually elected, who brings charges under state law. A US attorney is the federal prosecutor for a district, appointed by the president, who brings federal charges.

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Deportation

Forced removal from the US of a person with no legal right to stay. An immigration court usually orders it, but some people are removed faster, without a hearing.

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