Minneapolis prosecutors made a landmark announcement Thursday, revealing criminal assault charges against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer tied to the Trump administration’s controversial 10-week immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, known as Operation Metro Surge. This marks the first time a federal agent has faced criminal prosecution for actions carried out during the sweep, according to local officials.
The defendant, 35-year-old Gregory Donnell Morgan, Jr., faces two counts of second-degree assault, and a nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for him. Prosecutors detail that the incident unfolded in February, when Morgan was driving an unmarked, rented SUV with no visible ICE identification on the shoulder of a Minnesota state highway, reportedly to bypass congested regular traffic. When two motorists moved their vehicle onto the shoulder to slow Morgan down, prosecutors say he adjusted his speed to match the victims’ vehicle, opened his window, and aimed his official service weapon directly at both the driver and passenger inside the other car.
Traumatized by the threat, the two motorists immediately contacted 911 to report the encounter. During questioning by state investigators after the incident, Morgan acknowledged drawing his firearm after the other vehicle merged back into main traffic, according to Hennepin County Chief Prosecutor Mary Moriarty. Morgan claimed he acted out of fear for his own safety and the safety of others, alleging the other vehicle had swerved and cut him off, a statement included in the state complaint reviewed by The New York Times. Morgan also told investigators he and his partner were returning to a federal building at the end of their work shift when the confrontation occurred.
Operation Metro Surge was launched in early 2025 against a backdrop of escalating tension: after two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in January, then-President Donald Trump dispatched former border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to oversee the expanded enforcement sweep. By February, Homan announced the operation had resulted in the detention of hundreds of undocumented immigrants with prior violent criminal convictions for deportation. But the operation sparked widespread national protests over the high-profile killings of Good and Pretti, and a third incident that left Venezuelan migrant Julio Sosa-Celis wounded by gunfire in the leg during an ICE interaction.
Moriarty framed Thursday’s charging decision as a critical turning point in ongoing efforts to hold federal agents accountable for harm inflicted on Minnesota communities during the operation. “This is an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on community,” Moriarty told reporters at a press conference announcing the charges. “We will not rest until we get the answers we seek about federal agent conduct across Hennepin County and accountability is delivered wherever appropriate.”
Moriarty added that investigations remain ongoing across multiple cases tied to Operation Metro Surge, including the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti, the non-fatal shooting of Sosa-Celis, and all other incidents being reviewed by her office’s Transparency and Accountability Project. The BBC has reached out to ICE for official comment on the charges and ongoing investigation, as of Thursday no statement has been released from the agency.