conv.

All stories
SecurityQuiet 5d · day 10

Houston ICE officer indicted for ramming car into fleeing construction worker

A Harris County grand jury charged ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales with aggravated assault after video contradicted the agency's account of the Oct. 10 crash.

What to know

  • This is the first indictment of an ICE agent in Texas over an enforcement-related injury, and follows a similar case against an officer in Minnesota.
  • DA Teare says surveillance video contradicts ICE's account and that DHS failed to cooperate with investigators, moving the vehicle before it could be impounded.
  • ICE disputes local jurisdiction to investigate federal officers and calls the indictment a political stunt, setting up a federal-local legal conflict.
  • The stated target of the operation may have been misidentified: family members say the man ICE named has been dead since 2017.
some voices

The indictment is a welcome, overdue step toward holding ICE accountable.

  • “About damn time”

    markrsmith@smithtodon.org · Mastodon ↗

Mario Alberto Morales ICE officerMiguel Parra Hernandez Construction worker, victimSean Teare Harris County District Attorney (Democrat)U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Federal agency, officer's employerJose Mendoza-Cervantes / Jose Hector Jimenez Stated target of the ICE operation

Houston ICE officer indicted for ramming car into fleeing construction worker
nbcnews.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideosposts

Peak 57 pieces in 3h at Oct 30, 10 AM; 132 pieces over 10 days (85 articles · 5 videos · 42 posts) Oct 29, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Oct 29, 10 PM — quietOct 30, 1 AM — quietOct 30, 4 AM — quietOct 30, 7 AM — quietOct 30, 10 AM — 57 pieces · 40 articles · 1 video · 16 posts — Newswires 26, Mastodon 12, Google News 11, +3 moreOct 30, 1 PM — 17 pieces · 12 articles · 1 video · 4 posts — Newswires 10, Mastodon 2, Google News 2, +3 moreOct 30, 4 PM — 9 pieces · 3 articles · 6 posts — Mastodon 5, Google News 2, Bluesky 1, +1 moreOct 30, 7 PM — 5 pieces · 2 articles · 2 videos · 1 post — Google News 2, YouTube 2, Mastodon 1Oct 30, 10 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Oct 31, 1 AM — quietOct 31, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 video — YouTube 1Oct 31, 7 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Oct 31, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 31, 1 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Oct 31, 4 PM — quietOct 31, 7 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Bluesky 1, Newswires 1Oct 31, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 3 AM — quietNov 1, 6 AM — quietNov 1, 9 AM — 9 pieces · 3 articles · 6 posts — Mastodon 6, Bluesky 1, Google News 1, +1 moreNov 1, 12 PM — quietNov 1, 3 PM — quietNov 1, 6 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Nov 1, 9 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 3 AM — quietNov 2, 6 AM — quietNov 2, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 2, 12 PM — 9 pieces · 8 articles · 1 post — Newswires 5, Google News 3, Mastodon 1Nov 2, 3 PM — 6 pieces · 4 articles · 2 posts — Newswires 4, Bluesky 2Nov 2, 6 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Nov 2, 9 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 3 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 3, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Mastodon 1Nov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 3 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 9 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 3 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 9 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 3 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 9 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 3 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 9 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 3 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 9 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 3 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 9 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 3 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quiet 12
Oct 30Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6yesterdaynow · 11:26 AM ET
  1. 2

    ICE calls the indictment a 'political stunt'

    An ICE spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the indictment was 'nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians' and argued only federal agencies can investigate federal officers acting in the course of duty.

    “is nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians…”
    — ICE spokesperson
    1. first by Straight Arrow, 9d ago · also Associated Press, Globe and Mail, Scripps News, HuffPost, New Republic, Newsweek +17

      10 more headlines
    2. first by PBS NewsHour, 5d ago · also Texas Tribune, Dallas News, AP News, Washington Times, Boston Globe, Japan Today +8

      3 more headlines
    1 more claim →
    • apnews.com

      A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged with running over a Mexican man in Houston will turn himself in on Monday, according to his attorney, David Lindenmuth.

      apnews.comBluesky7d ago282▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 22 posts in this stretch
    • bich@apobangpo.space

      "A Harris County grand jury on Friday indicted an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an Oct. 10 crash in northwest Houston that left an immigrant wailing in pain from a broken leg after he was hit by the agent’s SUV, according to the Harris County District…

      bich@apobangpo.spaceMastodon6d ago1▲view on Mastodon ↗
    • pbsnews.org

      A federal immigration officer charged with aggravated assault after he ran over a Mexican man with his car in Houston will turn himself in on Monday, according to his attorney.

      pbsnews.orgBluesky7d ago247▲view on Bluesky ↗
    all of them →
  2. background

    Teare says ICE badge gives no 'free rein' to injure people — At a news conference announcing the indictment, Teare rejected ICE's claim that local authorities lack jurisdiction to investigate federal officers, calling that assertion false.

  3. 1

    Harris County grand jury indicts ICE officer Morales

    A Harris County grand jury indicted Morales, 33, on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, marking the first indictment of an immigration agent in Texas; a similar case against an ICE officer was previously brought in Minnesota.

    “The evidence that we have in this case is as clear as any that I've ever prosecuted or investigated.”
    — Sean Teare, Harris County DA
    1. 5 outlets first by Washington Times, 8d ago · also Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, Houston Public Media, The Oregonian · read ↗

  4. background

    DA Teare reviews video, says footage shows deliberate hit — Harris County DA Sean Teare's office collected surveillance video from local businesses and bystanders; Teare said the footage shows the officer deliberately ran over Parra and accused DHS of destroying evidence after ICE moved the vehicle before it could be impounded.

  5. background

    ICE claims Parra ran in front of the vehicle — In a statement after the collision, ICE said Parra 'ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck,' and later called accusations of intentional conduct 'reckless' and 'false.' ICE also said the operation targeted Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, but his daughter told an immigrant rights group he had been dead since 2017.

  6. background

    ICE vehicle strikes fleeing worker Miguel Parra Hernandez — During a targeted enforcement operation in northwest Houston, an unmarked ICE SUV driven by officer Mario Alberto Morales struck Parra Hernandez as he ran away, leaving him with hip, leg and ankle injuries including a broken leg.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. first by Mastodon, 9d ago · also NBC News, The Texas Tribune, BBC

    3 more headlines
  2. first by Guardian, 8d ago · also Guardian US

and 1 smaller piece

What people are saying 14 voices from 2 sites · best of 22 · verbatim