An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is facing rare state criminal charges for allegedly threatening two people with a firearm during enforcement operations in Minneapolis in February.
Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, is facing two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon related to a Feb. 5 incident, in which he pointed a gun at two people on a state highway, according to an arrest warrant filed in Hennepin County District Court on Thursday.
Morgan is not in custody, and there is a nationwide warrant out for his arrest, County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference announcing the charges.
While the charges against Morgan are not related to the fatal shootings of 37-year-old Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January as ICE was enforcing its immigration crackdown, Moriarty cast them as part of a broader attempt to hold federal agents accountable for their actions in the city during that time. (Border czar Tom Homan announced that the Minneapolis operation was ending in February.)
“Today’s charges reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community” during the crackdown, Moriarty said at the news conference.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $14,000.
The warrant says Morgan pointed the gun at the heads of two unnamed people from his vehicle after they used their car to try to block him from driving on the right shoulder of the highway, where cars are not supposed to travel. The people were unaware Morgan was a federal law enforcement officer, the warrant says, given that his vehicle allegedly lacked any relevant markings.
When Morgan pointed the gun, he said something inaudible — his car window was rolled up — and the people in the other vehicle called 911, according to the warrant.
Investigators said Morgan told them that at the time of the incident that he and his partner in the back seat were on their way to the Whipple Building, which houses a detention center and courthouse and was a regular gathering spot for protests earlier this year, after conducting surveillance for ICE earlier in the day. Morgan said he pulled his gun and yelled “police stop” after the other vehicle swerved in front of him and cut him off, adding he “feared for his safety and the safety of others,” according to the warrant.
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After he pulled the gun, Morgan told police, he drove in front of the other car to the Whipple Building to end his shift.
According to the warrant, Morgan’s partner said the car lacked any markings to indicate it was a law enforcement vehicle and that Morgan had already pulled his firearm and rolled down his window by the time he confronted the two people.
Moriarty said at the news conference that ICE should also “make arrangements for [Morgan] to turn himself in.”
Morgan, who public records suggest is a Maryland resident, could not immediately be reached for comment by MS NOW on Thursday, and it is unclear whether he has retained a lawyer.
A spokesperson for ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is not the first effort Moriarty has made to seek accountability related to immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Last month, she and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to force the government to release evidence related to the shootings of Good, Pretti and a Venezuelan migrant.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.