Overview
- Hennepin County charged ICE agent Gregory Morgan Jr. with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for an encounter in which prosecutors say he drove on the shoulder, pulled alongside another vehicle and pointed a handgun at its occupants on February 5.
- Morgan surrendered to authorities, posted bond and made an initial court appearance this week where a judge barred him from possessing guns, restricted his travel outside the country and prohibited contact with witnesses.
- Investigators said they relied on cellphone video, traffic-camera footage and interviews with Morgan, his supervisor and his partner to build the criminal complaint against him.
- Morgan’s lawyer says the complaint contains inaccurate or incomplete information and plans to ask a judge to move the case to federal court, a step that could raise questions about federal immunity and who prosecutes federal officers.
- The charge is the first against an ICE officer tied to Operation Metro Surge and it deepens scrutiny of federal enforcement in the Twin Cities while setting up potential fights over evidence sharing and the reach of state authority.