Hennepin County prosecutors announced criminal charges against a 35-year-old U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer they say pointed his gun at two people traveling in a separate car on a Twin Cities highway in February.
The officer, identified by prosecutors as Gregory Donnell Morgan, faces two counts of second-degree assault. Prosecutors said an active nationwide warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County Attorney, said on Thursday she believed these charges were the first filed against an ICE officer in connection with the agency's recent enforcement efforts in Minnesota. Prosecutors described the alleged incident as occurring when Morgan attempted to bypass slower-moving traffic and encountered the other vehicle.
According to the charging documents, the occupants of the other vehicle briefly moved onto the shoulder to slow Morgan down. Prosecutors allege Morgan accelerated to pull alongside that vehicle, opened his window and pointed his duty weapon directly at both victims while continuing to drive on the shoulder in violation of traffic laws.
In statements included in the complaint, Morgan said he drew his firearm because he feared for his safety and the safety of others. The charging documents present the prosecutors' account of the encounter rather than any adjudicated facts.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
ICE operates under the Department of Homeland Security and has been central to President Donald Trump's recent immigration enforcement efforts. Those actions prompted protests in cities targeted by enforcement operations and then expanded to other areas after the January fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, prosecutors noted in their statement.
The complaint filed by prosecutors lays out a brief sequence of events that led to the assault charges. Prosecutors contend the other vehicle's movement onto the shoulder briefly impeded Morgan, who then pulled alongside and pointed his weapon at the occupants. Morgan's stated concern for safety is recorded in the complaint.
Rights advocates have criticized the administration's enforcement strategy, saying the crackdown has infringed on free speech and due process and created an unsafe atmosphere for minority communities. Advocates also argue that isolated fraud cases have been used to justify broader targeting of communities, and they have raised questions about the administration's handling of fraud investigations in light of pardons previously extended to individuals convicted of fraud.
This case marks a legal escalation surrounding the actions of an ICE officer in Minnesota and opens a criminal process that will determine whether prosecutors can prove the allegations in court. At this stage, the allegations are those made in the county's complaint and have not been adjudicated.