A federal ICE officer is facing felony charges in Minnesota after a local prosecutor moved to arrest him over a highway encounter involving civilians, in a rare case involving state charges against a federal law enforcement officer.
Authorities say the allegations stem from a February incident on Highway 62 and are supported by traffic camera footage, license plate data, rental records, and witness statements.
According to court filings, 35-year-old ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was driving an unmarked rental SUV on Feb. 5 along eastbound Highway 62 near the Portland Avenue interchange in Minneapolis when the incident occurred.
Investigators say Morgan was traveling on the shoulder in heavy traffic, an action described in the complaint as an attempt to bypass congestion during peak commute hours.
Charging documents allege that a civilian vehicle briefly entered the shoulder ahead of Morgan before returning to the travel lane.
Prosecutors say Morgan then accelerated alongside the vehicle, slowed to match its speed, and pointed a duty-issued handgun at the occupants while both vehicles were in motion on a congested stretch of highway where shoulder driving is prohibited, the Minnesota Reformer reported.
Authorities say the two civilians immediately called 911 to report that a driver had displayed a firearm during a traffic confrontation. No injuries were reported.
The Minnesota State Patrol later identified the SUV through traffic footage and license plate data, linking it to a rental vehicle assigned to a federal employee in ICE operations in the Minneapolis area, according to KTTC.
Morgan was located the following day at a federal facility and agreed to an interview with the Minnesota State Patrol.
In that interview, according to investigators, he acknowledged driving the vehicle at the time of the incident and said he was returning from field operations when the confrontation occurred.
He described the situation as a response to what he believed was aggressive driving by another motorist.
Prosecutors dispute that account, saying surveillance footage and witness statements show Morgan driving on the shoulder before pulling alongside the civilian vehicle and escalating the encounter by displaying a firearm.
The complaint notes the SUV had no visible law enforcement markings, leaving the occupants unaware they were interacting with a federal officer.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and described the case as supported by independent state investigation.
She said a nationwide warrant has been issued for Morgan’s arrest, though he is not currently in custody.
The case has drawn attention due to the legal question of whether the conduct occurred within the scope of federal duties.
Legal analysts note that while federal officers have certain protections when acting in an official capacity, those protections do not extend to actions that violate state law or involve excessive force against civilians.
ICE has not publicly commented on the case, and Morgan’s employment status has not been confirmed by federal officials.
The Department of Homeland Security typically does not comment on pending state criminal proceedings involving agency personnel, the Star Tribune noted.
The case is expected to proceed in state court unless federal authorities intervene. Morgan faces significant prison time if convicted under Minnesota law.
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