Feds investigating whether 2 ICE officers lied about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal authorities person opened a transgression probe into whether 2 migration officers lied nether oath astir the shooting of a Venezuelan antheral successful Minneapolis past month.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said Friday that his bureau had opened a associated probe with the Justice Department aft video grounds revealed “sworn grounds provided by 2 abstracted officers appears to person made untruthful statements.” The announcement came arsenic a national justice ordered each charges dropped against Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was changeable successful the limb by an migration officer, arsenic good arsenic different Venezuelan man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna.

The officers, who were not named, person been placed connected administrative permission pending the completion of an interior investigation, helium said.

“Lying nether oath is simply a superior national offense,” said Lyons, adding that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating.

Lyons said astatine the decision of the investigation, the officers whitethorn look termination of employment, arsenic good arsenic imaginable transgression prosecution.

“The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the regularisation of instrumentality and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,” Lyons said. “Violations of this ineffable sworn oath volition not beryllium tolerated. ICE remains afloat committed to transparency, accountability, and the just enforcement of our nation’s migration laws.”

The dismissal of the charges against Aljorna and Sosa-Celis follows a drawstring of high-profile shootings involving national migration agents successful which eyewitness statements and video grounds person called into question claims made to warrant utilizing deadly force. Dozens of felony cases against protesters accused of assaulting oregon impeding national officers person besides crumbled.

In a highly antithetic question to disregard filed Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen said “newly discovered evidence” was “materially inconsistent with the allegations” made against Aljorna and Sosa-Celis successful a transgression ailment and astatine a proceeding past month.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot beryllium resubmitted.

A lawyer for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis said Friday that they are “overjoyed” that each the charges person been dismissed. Had they been convicted, the 2 immigrants would person faced years successful national prison.

“The charges against them were based connected lies by an ICE cause who recklessly changeable into their location done a closed door,” said lawyer Brian D. Clark. “They are truthful blessed justness is being served.”

It is unclear whether the men could inactive beryllium deported.

Noem had attacked Gov. Walz aft the shooting

An FBI researcher said successful an affidavit that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempted to behaviour a postulation halt successful Minneapolis connected a conveyance driven by Aljorna connected Jan. 14. He crashed the conveyance and fled connected ft toward the flat duplex wherever helium lived. An migration serviceman chased Aljorna who — according to the authorities — violently resisted arrest.

The ailment alleges Sosa-Celis and different antheral attacked the serviceman with a snowfall shovel and a broom grip arsenic the serviceman and Aljorna struggled connected the ground. The serviceman fired his handgun, striking Sosa-Celis successful his close thigh. The men ran into an flat and yet were arrested.

After the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attacked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democrats of “encouraging impeding and battle against our instrumentality enforcement which is simply a national crime, a felony.”

“What we saw past nighttime successful Minneapolis was an attempted execution of national instrumentality enforcement,” Noem said successful a Jan. 15 statement. “Our serviceman was ambushed and attacked by 3 individuals who bushed him with snowfall shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the serviceman fired a antiaircraft shot.”

The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests Friday asking whether Noem stands by those statements.

Clark, the lawyer for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, urged the authorities Friday to merchandise the sanction of the ICE cause and complaint him “for his crime.”

Court filings amusement authorities authorities person opened their ain transgression probe into the shooting, though the FBI has refused to stock evidence, supply the sanction of the ICE serviceman oregon marque him disposable for an interview.

Holes already evident successful prosecution case

Rosen's question seeking to driblet the charges did not item what caller grounds had emerged oregon what falsehoods had been successful the government's anterior filings, but cracks began to look successful the government's lawsuit during a Jan. 21 tribunal proceeding to find whether the accused men could beryllium released pending trial.

In court, the ICE officer's relationship of the moments earlier the shooting differed importantly from grounds from the 2 defendants and 3 eyewitnesses. The ICE officer’s relationship that helium was assaulted with a broom and snowfall shovel was besides not corroborated by disposable video evidence.

Aljorna and Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the cause with a broom oregon a snowfall shovel. Neither video grounds nor grounds from a neighbour and the men’s romanticist partners supported the agent’s relationship that helium had been attacked with a broom oregon shovel oregon that a 3rd idiosyncratic was involved.

Frederick Goetz, a lawyer representing Aljorna, said his lawsuit had a broomstick successful his manus and threw it astatine the cause arsenic helium ran toward the house. Attorney Robin Wolpert, representing Sosa-Celis, said helium had been holding a shovel but was retreating into the location erstwhile the serviceman fired, wounding him. The men’s attorneys said the prosecution’s lawsuit relied wholly connected grounds from the cause who fired the gun.

Neither Aljorna and Sosa-Celis had convulsive transgression records. Both had been moving arsenic DoorDash transportation drivers astatine nighttime successful an effort to debar encounters with national agents, their attorneys said.

Aljorna and Sosa-Celis retreated into their upstairs flat and barricaded the door, truthful national officers utilized teardrop state to effort to unit the men out, the FBI cause said. Concerned astir the information of 2 children nether 2 wrong the home, Aljorna and Sosa-Celis surrendered.

A 3rd Venezuelan man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledezma, who lived successful the flat downstairs was besides arrested.

Though helium was ne'er federally charged, a Jan. 30 tribunal petition seeking his merchandise says Hernandez Ledezma was detained without a warrant and wrong hours flown to an ICE detention installation successful Texas. He alleges his removal was to forestall him becoming a worldly eyewitness who could undercut the national government's lawsuit and assistance the Minnesota authorities investigation.

Hernandez Ledezma was returned to Minnesota and discharged from ICE custody connected Monday aft a national justice ordered his release.

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Biesecker reported from Washington.

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