Often, ordinary people are harassed, and justice does not follow. Whereas such harassment may come from people in powerful offices, at other times it comes from people charged with the role of protection. This is true in many countries.
Last year, 2025, and at the beginning of this year, many people in the USA witnessed harassment by ICE officers, the country’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. These federal officers were on a mission to weed out any immigrants living in the country illegally.
They mostly visited states with large immigrant communities. These include California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and Minnesota.
Pressure from the US President
US President Donald Trump has been openly against immigrants settling in the US, and last year, he put exceptional pressure on ICE to seek out non-citizens.
Heeding the president’s call, the federal police department organized a mission dubbed Operation Metro Surge and set off to Minnesota. As of the beginning of December 2025 onward, residents of Minnesota and its twin city, St. Paul, witnessed shocking incidents of harassment.
ICE officers and others from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) appeared more interested in aggressive arrests than anything else. It was in the same period that two infamous deaths occurred, of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.
ICE Officer Brandishes a Gun
Apparently energized by the free hand ICE officers seemed to have, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., an ICE officer, ignored the law. He raced down a highway in Minneapolis on February 5, 2026, endangering other road users as he tried to overtake. He was driving an unmarked car.
Another motorist used a maneuver to try to stop Morgan from driving dangerously. However, when that motorist settled back into his normal lane, Morgan accelerated and placed his car shoulder-to-shoulder with the motorist’s. Then he drew out a gun and pointed it at the motorist and a passenger in the car.
Highway 62, along which the incident took place, has cameras, and video recordings taken from them corroborate the motorist’s report.
Seeking Justice for Pain Inflicted by Operation Metro Surge
Yesterday, April 16, Attorney Mary Moriarty of Hennepin County in Minnesota, told a Press Conference that his office had taken Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. to court. He said there was an arrest warrant out for him and that he is expected to face two charges. Each of the charges is a second-degree assault. If found guilty, Morgan could face 3 to 7 years’ imprisonment.
Attorney Moriarty said in the Press Conference that charging Morgan is a significant milestone for the state administration. It shows the community that the administration is committed to holding accountable those responsible for the pain residents endured during Operation Metro Surge.
The attitude of the police, and to some extent the executive, is not unique to the US. In many countries, ordinary citizens are often aggrieved without any substantive recourse.
Moriarty’s statement offers some relief to the residents of Minneapolis and Minnesota in general, even if it concerns only a highway incident. In the US, it is an open secret how difficult it is to hold ICE officers to account for their actions.