'I Can't Live': ICE Agent Breaks Down in Tears Over Job He Was 'Forced' to Do While Testifying in Assault Case
An ICE agent is accused of assaulting two people who cut him off on the road.
Oct. 19 2026, Updated 2:16 p.m. ET
An ICE agent broke down in tears on the witness stand while describing the hostility he faced and the personal toll of his assignment, saying "I can't live” because he was "doing a job I was forced to do," RadarOnline can report.
Gregory Morgan Jr. faces two counts of second-degree assault over a February 5 confrontation on Highway 62 during Operation Metro Surge.
Who Is Gregory Morgan Jr.?
ICE agent Gregory Morgan Jr. (not pictured) is facing two counts of second-degree assault, the first federal agent to be prosecuted while on duty.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel is weighing whether the case should move from Hennepin County Court to federal court after hearing arguments and testimony over more than two days, according to reports.
Morgan Jr. was assigned to the Trump administration's 10-week immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, which brought federal agents to the Twin Cities.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged Morgan Jr. in April, arguing that the case holds him accountable for what she described as "extremely dangerous conduct" during the operation.
The case could also have implications for future prosecutions involving federal agents accused of violating state laws while carrying out their duties.
Morgan Jr.'s charges were the first state felony charges in the country against a federal agent for actions taken while on duty.
Alleged Assault Details
Morgan Jr. (not pictured) allegedly pulled out his gun on two occupants for cutting him off.
Driving east on Highway 62 in an unmarked Ford Expedition, Morgan Jr. encountered a Cadillac with two occupants that moved over to block his SUV.
One occupant said they were trying to "cut him off a little bit." Neither occupant knew the people inside the SUV were law enforcement.
Morgan Jr. allegedly then drew his gun and pointed it at the occupants. One of them called 911, reporting, "A guy just aimed his gun at me … he just aimed a Glock at my face."
The ICE Agent testified that he displayed his gun near his chest for approximately five seconds while shouting, "police, back off."
Morgan Jr. said he feared for his own safety, his partner's safety, and other drivers on the road. His partner, ICE agent Myles Codner, testified that both men felt under siege when they approached the Cadillac.
Codner said he believed the Cadillac's occupants were protesters who had been following them and testified, "I felt that we had been ambushed."
Gregory Morgan Jr.: 'I Was Doing a Job I Was Forced to Do'
Morgan Jr. declared he was 'forced' to do his job.
Morgan Jr.'s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, portrayed him as a single father who had been an ICE agent for less than a year and did not want to be assigned to Minnesota.
Morgan Jr. testified that he did not want to participate in Operation Metro Surge because of reports of unrest in the Twin Cities and his father’s cancer.
He said encountering hostility from protesters after arriving in Minnesota, testifying that people threw rocks and s-x toys at him and called him racial slurs.
Morgan Jr. broke down crying on the witness stand while describing the hostility and the personal toll it had taken on him and his family.
"I can't live," he said in court, and added, "Because I was doing a job I was forced to do."
Morgan Jr.'s defense focused on his perception that he was under attack during the highway confrontation and that he was following his ICE training.
Prosecutors' Challenge
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
It has yet to be determined if the case will be transferred to federal court.
State attorneys challenged the defense’s account, questioning whether Morgan Jr.'s fast driving on the highway shoulder prompted the confrontation and whether the Cadillac actually brake-checked the agents.
State attorney Julia Gegenheimer asked Morgan Jr., "It's not within the realm of possibility that the Cadillac brake-checked you to pull behind this car?"
Morgan Jr. maintained that he believed the Cadillac was impeding their vehicle. Prosecutors also questioned whether displaying a firearm was an appropriate way for law enforcement officers to identify themselves.
John Parodi, who trained Morgan Jr. when he became a federal agent, testified that merely pointing a firearm is not considered a use of force under ICE policy.
The motorists who reported Morgan Jr. did not testify at the jurisdictional hearing.
Their attorney told the court they would invoke their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination if called, and Judge Brasel allowed them not to testify while leaving open the possibility of revisiting whether their testimony was necessary.
If the case is transferred to federal court, it would create an unusual legal arrangement in Minnesota: a federal judge would oversee the proceedings under federal court rules, but the case would remain a state prosecution alleging violations of state law.
Judge Brasel did not announce when she would decide whether Morgan Jr.'s case should proceed in federal court or remain in Hennepin County Court.
