ICE agent charged with assault in Minnesota for allegedly pointing gun at motorists

Key Points:

• ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. has been charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated assault for allegedly pointing his gun at occupants of a vehicle on a Minneapolis highway on February 5.
• Prosecutors say Morgan, while driving a rented unmarked SUV, pulled alongside the vehicle and aimed his service weapon after the car moved onto the highway shoulder to slow him down, without identifying himself as a federal officer.
• The incident occurred while Morgan and his partner were heading to end their shift at the federal building; Morgan did not claim the event was part of an enforcement action.
• Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated Morgan’s actions exceeded his authority and emphasized that federal agents do not have absolute immunity under Minnesota law.
• If convicted, Morgan faces up to seven years in prison, or up to ten years if substantial bodily harm was inflicted; this is reportedly the first criminal case against a federal immigration officer from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.