New Video of ICE's January Minnesota Shooting Shows Officers May Have Lied Under Oath

During the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that during a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was violently assaulted by two Venezuelan men who allegedly struck the agent with a shovel and a broom.

But according to new video evidence released this week, the officers involved are now being investigated over whether they lied under oath about what happened during the Jan. 14 confrontation.

In January, DHS said agents attempted to detain Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national living in Minneapolis. The agency said Sosa-Celis fled in his vehicle to avoid arrest, crashed into a parked car, and then ran on foot. Once agents caught up to him, DHS said he resisted and violently assaulted one of the officers.

While they were on the ground, DHS said two other individuals exited a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle. Fearing for his life, the statement said, the officer fired a "defensive shot," striking Sosa-Celis in the leg.

As reported by The Associated Press, video obtained from a city-owned security camera shows a person standing with a snow shovel near the street before retreating toward a house and tossing the shovel into the yard. Two other individuals are also visible, with one being chased by another person who runs up the street, falls on the sidewalk, gets up, and continues toward the house.

The camera pans toward the street where the incident occurred before any vehicles arrive, suggesting it may have been manually controlled in real time. The three appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds. The exact moment when Sosa-Celis is shot is not clear, according to The Associated Press.

Although the city provided no additional narrative on the footage, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement that the video makes it "crystal clear that, just like in other situations during Operation Metro Surge, the federal government's account of what happened simply does not match the facts."

Following the release of the footage, the cases against Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna were dropped after a highly unusual motion from the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, who said "newly discovered evidence" was "materially inconsistent with the allegations" in the criminal complaint and with evidence presented at a preliminary hearing.

Civil rights advocates and immigration lawyers say the episode highlights systemic issues in how federal agents handle enforcement and justify the use of force. Brian D. Clark, an attorney for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, sharply criticized the government's handling of the case in February, saying it was built on "lies by an ICE agent who recklessly shot into their home through a closed door."

While the investigation remains ongoing, ICE said the two officers involved appear to have given untruthful testimony under oath and were immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome.

"Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. The U.S. Attorney's Office is actively investigating these false statements," the ICE statement said. "Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution."