ICE Accused of Lying in Migrant Shooting
Two ICE officers face investigation after sworn testimony in a Minneapolis migrant shooting was found inconsistent with video evidence.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said that two immigration agents may have given "false statements" in sworn testimony about the shooting of a migrant in Minneapolis last month.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the two officers, who have not been named, were immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of an internal investigation.
Lyons said, "Lying under oath is a serious federal offense." On Friday, a judge granted a request to drop charges against two men accused of assaulting officers.
The Department of Homeland Security initially said that a federal officer shot a man in the leg on January 14 after three migrants attacked him with a shovel and a broom handle.
On Friday, Lyons said in a statement that it appears the two officers gave false testimony, and the US Attorney's Office is actively investigating the matter.
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He said, "Video evidence has revealed that two separate officers appear to have made false statements in their sworn testimony." He added, "Upon completion of the investigation, the officers could face termination and criminal charges."
Following the January 14 incident, DHS issued a statement saying that the shooting occurred after a car chase involving a Venezuelan citizen who was in the country illegally. Following the chase, the man exited his car and a fight broke out between him and federal agents, it added.
The agency claimed, "While the man and law enforcement officers were fighting on the ground, two men came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle."
"When the officer was attacked by the two men, the man ran away and began attacking the officer with a shovel and a broom handle."
The DHS statement further stated, "Fearing for his life and safety after being attacked by three individuals, the officer fired shots in self-defense." The three men then fled into an apartment and were all later arrested.
Shortly after the incident, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that one agent was "beaten, injured, and is receiving treatment, and we are thankful he survived."
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A statement from US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch followed shortly thereafter: "The Minnesota insurrection is a direct result of a failed governor and a very bad mayor who are encouraging violence against law enforcement agencies. This is very bad."
Two men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, were charged with forcefully assaulting, resisting, or obstructing federal officers in the course of their official duties.
Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg, and DHS initially said Alzorna fled the scene in a car, but officials later changed their story and said it was Alzorna—not Sosa-Celis—who ran.
They also downplayed their earlier claim that three people attacked the immigration agent. The charge sheet revealed that only two people were involved.
On Thursday, in a major decision, Minnesota's top federal prosecutor, Daniel N. Rosen, asked a judge to dismiss the charges against Alzorna and Sosa-Celis, stating that "newly discovered evidence in this case significantly contradicts the allegations."
The US Attorney wrote that, therefore, dismissing the case with prejudice—meaning it cannot be refiled—"would be in the interests of justice."
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On Friday, a judge granted the request and dismissed the case.
Frederick Goetz, the lawyer who handled Aljorna's case, said he was "pleased" with the decision to dismiss the charges with discrimination.
Sosa-Celis' attorney, Robin Wolpert, said his client was "a crime victim."
He said, "These false statements had serious consequences for my client and his family." A third Venezuelan man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledezma, who lived nearby, was also arrested after the January 14 incident, but court filings show he was taken to an ICE detention center in Texas and later returned to Minnesota and released on the orders of a federal judge.
On Thursday, Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, announced that the enforcement surge in Minnesota would end after more than two months.
He said that more than 4,000 undocumented immigrants had been arrested during the campaign.
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