Hennepin charges ICE officer, issues nationwide warrant over highway gun-brandishing
Hennepin County charged ICE officer Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. with assault for pointing a gun at a vehicle on a Minneapolis highway.
Prosecutors say the 35-year-old Enforcement and Removal Operations officer from Maryland, detailed to Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, pulled alongside a car in traffic, rolled down his window and pointed a handgun at its occupants. The victims told 911 they briefly moved onto the shoulder to stop an unmarked SUV bypassing traffic and could not tell Mr. Morgan was law enforcement. Morgan told investigators he feared for his safety after the car cut him off and says he drew his gun while yelling "Police! Stop!" Hennepin County has issued a nationwide warrant for Morgan, who is not in custody.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the case shows there is no absolute immunity for federal agents and that he acted outside the scope of his authority. Minnesota's Metro Surge was part of a wider Trump-era deployment of roughly 3,000 federal officers to cities nationwide. In Minnesota from December 2025 to March 2026 ICE arrested more than 4,000 people, and charging documents show 63 percent had no criminal convictions. DHS has linked a spike in assaults on ICE officers to the heightened enforcement sweep, noting assaults rose more than thirteenfold in 2025-26 amid tense rhetoric and threats.
Early accounts framed the episode as an officer pointing a gun at motorists, while later reporting broadened the story to focus on federal immunity and the legal clash between state prosecutors and federal agencies. POLITICO and the Los Angeles Times drove that shift by highlighting Moriarty's claim this may be the first criminal case against an immigration officer tied to the Metro Surge and by noting DOJ friction. Public reaction ranged from relief at charges to criticism that the county is overreaching, and social posts reflected those splits while also calling for Morgan to surrender.
Newsroom guidance also warns against using racial statistics in crime stories, a reminder relevant as Hennepin County's population changed with growing diversity during the surge.
đź“Š Relevant Data
During Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota from December 2025 to March 2026, ICE arrested over 4,000 individuals, of which 63% had no criminal convictions and were arrested solely for immigration violations, 24% had prior criminal convictions, and 13% had pending criminal charges.
Most Arrested by ICE in Minnesota Surge Had No Criminal Record — The Intercept
Historical precedents for state prosecutions of federal officials date back to the early 19th century, including a 1809 case in Pennsylvania where federal marshals were indicted for enforcing federal law, and other cases involving federal agents in conflicts with state authorities.
Can States Prosecute Federal Officials? — State Democracy Project
The 1,347% increase in assaults on ICE officers from 89 in 2024 to 1,288 in 2025-2026 has been linked by DHS to heightened enforcement activities and radical rhetoric from sanctuary city politicians, which reportedly incited vehicular attacks and death threats.
Radical Rhetoric by Sanctuary Politicians Leads to an Unprecedented 1,300% Increase in Assaults — Department of Homeland Security
Hennepin County's racial demographics shifted from 2020 to 2026, with the White population decreasing from approximately 70% to 66.32%, Black population increasing slightly to 13.4%, Asian to 7.08%, and Hispanic to around 7.8%, driven primarily by international immigration contributing to overall population growth.
Hennepin County, Minnesota Population 2026 — World Population Review
đź“Ś Key Facts
- The charged officer is 35-year-old Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officer from Maryland detailed to Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge; he and a partner were driving a rented, unmarked SUV and were returning to the federal building to end their shift.
- Victims say they briefly pulled onto the shoulder to block the unmarked SUV from illegally bypassing traffic, then Morgan pulled alongside, rolled down his window, pointed a black handgun at them and shouted something unintelligible; their 911 call said they could not tell he was law enforcement and could not hear him with windows up.
- Morgan told investigators in a voluntary interview that the other car swerved in front of him and cut him off, that he feared for his safety, and that he drew his gun while yelling "Police! Stop!" to get the vehicle to back up; charging documents note he did not claim he was conducting any law-enforcement operation or responding to an emergency.
- Hennepin County charged Morgan with assault for pointing a gun at people on the Minneapolis-area highway and has issued a nationwide arrest warrant; he is not in custody and no surrender arrangements have been announced.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty called the case "an important milestone," said "there is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal agents who violate the law in the state of Minnesota," and said she believes this is likely the first criminal case tied to the Trump administration's Metro Surge.
- Minnesota’s Metro Surge is part of a broader Trump-era deployment of roughly 3,000 federal officers to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland and New Orleans, and Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche has warned DOJ could prosecute state or local officials who arrest federal agents, underscoring a federal–state collision course.
- DHS and DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and news outlets, including AP, were unable to reach Morgan by phone or email.
đź“° Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Politico/AP piece confirms the agent’s full name, age and role: 35-year-old ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., driving a rented, unmarked SUV.
- Provides direct quotes from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty at the charging press conference, including: "There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal agents who violate the law in the state of Minnesota," and her statement that he acted outside the scope of his authority.
- Details the victims’ 911 report that they believed a "crazy person" was pointing a gun at them, and that they could not tell he was law enforcement and could not hear him with windows up.
- Lays out Morgan’s own account to Minnesota State Patrol investigators: that the other car "swerved over in front of him and cut him off," and that he claims he drew his gun and yelled, "Police! Stop!" because he feared for his safety and others'.
- Specifies that the warrant notes Morgan "made no claim that he was conducting any law-enforcement operation or activity or responding to any emergency situation" at the time.
- Confirms there is an active nationwide warrant, with no arrangements yet for Morgan to surrender, and notes that DHS and DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
- Adds Moriarty’s belief, as stated at the presser, that this is the first criminal case brought against a federal immigration officer involved in the Trump administration’s current immigration-enforcement crackdown surge into cities including Minneapolis.
- Los Angeles Times/AP piece frames this as, in Moriarty’s words, likely the first criminal case against a federal immigration officer tied specifically to Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown operations.
- Confirms the federal context: Minnesota’s Metro Surge was part of a broader Trump-era deployment of roughly 3,000 federal officers into cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland and New Orleans.
- Details that Morgan and his partner were driving to the federal building to end their shift when they were caught in traffic, and that charging documents specifically note Morgan did not claim the incident occurred during any enforcement action.
- Adds explicit reference to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche threatening possible DOJ prosecution of state or local officials who arrest federal agents for performing their duties, underscoring the federal–state collision course.
- Clarifies that DHS and DOJ did not respond to requests for comment and that AP attempted, unsuccessfully, to reach Morgan by phone and email.
- NPR confirms the charged officer’s full identity and role: 35-year-old Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officer from Maryland detailed to Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge.
- The article lays out the victims’ account in more detail: they say they briefly pulled onto the shoulder only to block an unmarked SUV from illegally bypassing traffic, then saw Morgan pull alongside, roll his window down, and point a black handgun directly at both of them while shouting something unintelligible.
- Morgan’s own voluntary interview statement is quoted: he claims he feared for his safety when the car pulled in front of him and says he drew his gun while yelling 'Police Stop' in an attempt to get the victims to back up.
- NPR notes there is now a nationwide warrant for Morgan’s arrest, indicating he is not in custody and that authorities are actively seeking him.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty publicly frames the case as “an important milestone” in efforts to hold ICE accountable for harms during Operation Metro Surge, and explicitly contrasts this case with the slower-moving January ICE shootings of Alex Pretti, Renee Macklin Good, and Julio Sosa‑Celis because state investigators had full evidence access here but are being stonewalled in the shootings.