A county prosecutor in Minnesota announced state charges Thursday against an ICE officer she accused of pointing his gun at motorists during a highway confrontation in February.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she has secured a nationwide warrant for Donnell Morgan Jr., who was assigned to Minnesota as part of President Trump’s enforcement surge there.
Ms. Moriarty said Mr. Morgan was driving illegally in a shoulder lane on Feb. 5 while trying to bypass a traffic jam.
Another vehicle moved into the shoulder to block him briefly. After the motorist went back into the regular lane, the ICE officer drove up alongside and then pointed his gun at the two occupants in the vehicle, the prosecutor said.
The two occupants felt threatened.
Mr. Morgan later admitted to investigators that he drew his gun.
“We have charged Mr. Morgan with two counts of second-degree assault, one count for each victim,” Ms. Moriarty said. “Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous.”
Ms. Moriarty is also still probing Homeland Security officers and agents for involvement in the killings of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in clashes in January.
The prosecutor said she was able to bring charges in this case because it was a more straightforward investigation, with state investigators having control of all aspects of the probe.
Minnesota officials have complained about being shut out of the investigations into the Pretti and Good shootings.
The new charges mark the first time a Homeland Security employee has been charged with actions from the massive enforcement surge in Minnesota.
ICE didn’t respond to an inquiry for this story.
Mr. Morgan, a resident of Temple Hills, Maryland, told investigators he and his partner were ending their shift and returning to a federal building at the time.
He said he feared for his safety in the encounter.
Federal officers usually have some protection from prosecution for actions during their duties that comply with their training.
Ms. Moriarty said the fact that Mr. Morgan was driving illegally on the highway shoulder and drew his weapon on motorists who were not, at that moment, impeding him would undercut any claims he might make that his acts were official.
Thousands of ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel were deployed into Minnesota starting in December after President Trump decried fraud in the immigrant community in Minneapolis.
After two months, two dead U.S. citizens, viral video of violent clashes between protesters and federal officers and a tsunami of adverse court rulings, Mr. Trump approved a retreat in February.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has battled the Trump administration throughout, hailed the prosecution.
“When federal agents come to Minnesota, break the law, and harm the people of our state, they must be held accountable,” he said. “Failure to do so would give the Trump administration free rein to repeat the lawlessness, cruelty, and violence we saw during Metro Surge in other states around the country.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.