ICE officer charged with assault after ramming immigrant with SUV in Houston

An ICE officer in Houston has been charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly striking a Mexican construction worker with an unmarked SUV, PBS NewsHour reported.

Mario Alberto Morales made his first court appearance Monday following a grand jury indictment related to the October 10 incident, where he allegedly chased and hit Miguel Parra Hernandez in a parking lot, leaving the man hospitalized for weeks, CBS News reported.

Surveillance footage reportedly shows Morales' vehicle driving over a median and hitting Parra Hernandez as he ran away, contradicting ICE's claim that the man ran in front of the vehicle, according to PBS NewsHour.

Morales' attorney described him as a good man who did not commit a crime. Morales, who had worked for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations for just over a year, was granted bond set at $30,000 during the hearing, lower than the $75,000 requested by prosecutors, PBS NewsHour added.

Parra Hernandez is recovering at a rehabilitation facility while in federal custody, according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare as reported by PBS NewsHour. Morales previously served in the Army and ran unsuccessfully for Congress this year.

This case is one of the few instances where a federal officer has faced criminal charges related to their actions on the job during recent immigration enforcement efforts, PBS NewsHour noted.