HOUSTON — An ICE officer was indicted on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Friday in connection with a October 10 collision that left a man seriously injured during an enforcement operation in west Houston.

Mario Alberto Morales, 33, turned himself in Monday and was released on a $30,000 bond after a hearing before District Court Judge Matthew Peneguy. The indictment stems from an incident near Clay Road and Highway 6 in which Morales, driving an ICE SUV, struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, who was fleeing on foot after the vehicle he was riding in stopped and two men exited.

Surveillance video and body camera footage shown during a Friday news conference appear to show Morales making a hard left turn toward Parra Hernandez just before impact. The DA's office said the evidence is "as clear as any I've ever prosecuted." Parra Hernandez suffered a broken leg and other injuries requiring surgery and remains in rehabilitation.

The ICE vehicle involved had two handcuffed arrestees sitting in the back without seat belts at the time of the collision, according to the DA's office, which called the situation illustrative of problems with the agency's tactics and lack of proper training and vetting.

Morales was one of the "surge hires" by ICE in August 2025 as part of the administration's effort to quickly increase the ranks of immigration enforcement officers. The District Attorney's Office had not received any training records for Morales. Sean Teare said he was "not familiar with a single agency that would have hired" Morales based on his work history.

Before joining ICE, Morales worked as a corrections officer for Cameron County, a military police officer in the Army — where he left with the rank of private first class — and a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He resigned in 2018 while on probation for falsification of records.

Morales' attorney David Lindenmuth called the incident an accident, stating Morales took evasive action to avoid hitting a vehicle ahead of him during the chase. ICE called the allegations that Morales struck Parra Hernandez intentionally "RECKLESS and FALSE," saying its agents are held to the highest standards of professionalism.

The case has drawn scrutiny to ICE's hiring surge last year as voters head to the polls for midterm elections. In May 2026, a different ICE officer in Minnesota was charged in connection with a January shooting. Morales is the first ICE agent to be indicted in Texas.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said investigators developed serious concerns about the actions of the agent involved and worked closely with prosecutors to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Morales is due back in court on December 2.