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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal authorities person opened a transgression probe into whether 2 migration officers lied nether oath astir a shooting successful Minneapolis past month, arsenic each charges were dropped against 2 Venezuelan men.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said Friday that his bureau 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” astir the shooting of 1 of the Venezuelan men during the Trump administration's migration crackdown crossed the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
The officers, who were not named, are connected administrative permission portion the probe is carried out, helium said. Lyons said the 2 ICE officers could beryllium fired and look transgression prosecution.
“Lying nether oath is simply a superior national offense,” said Lyons, adding that the U.S. attorney’s bureau is actively investigating.
“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.”
Earlier Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson dismissed felony battle charges against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who were accused of beating an ICE serviceman with a broom grip and a snowfall shovel during a Jan. 14 fracas. The serviceman fired a azygous changeable from his handgun, striking Sosa-Celis successful his close thigh.
The cases were dropped aft a highly antithetic question to disregard from U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen, who said “newly discovered evidence” was “materially inconsistent with the allegations” made against the 2 men successful a transgression ailment and astatine a proceeding past month.
The reversal 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.
The migration lawyer representing Aljorna and Sosa-Celis said they are “overjoyed” that each 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.
A chase, claims of an onslaught and a changeable fired
Last month, an FBI researcher said successful a now-discredited tribunal affidavit that ICE officers attempted to behaviour a postulation halt 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 alleged 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 officer, who is not named successful tribunal filings, fired his handgun, striking Sosa-Celis. 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 did not responded Friday to questions astir whether Noem stands by those statements, which ICE — portion of DHS — present admits were false.
Robin M. Wolpert, a defence lawyer for Sosa-Celis successful the transgression case, said she was pleased ICE and the Justice Department are publically acknowledging and investigating untruthful statements by the 2 ICE officers.
“These untruthful statements had superior consequences for my lawsuit and his family,” Wolpert said. “My lawsuit is simply a transgression victim.”
Clark, the migration lawyer for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, urged the authorities to merchandise the ICE officer's sanction and complaint him.
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. Available video grounds did not enactment the ICE officer's relationship of being assaulted with a broom and snowfall shovel.
Aljorna and Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the serviceman with a broom oregon a snowfall shovel. Testimony from a neighbour and the men’s romanticist partners besides did not enactment 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. 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.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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