DHS Says Immigration Agents Appear to Have Lied About Minnesota Shooting

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that two of its immigration agents appear to have provided false sworn testimony regarding a January shooting in Minneapolis, a rare and startling admission that has led to the officers being placed on administrative leave and the collapse of the government's initial narrative.

The incident, which left a Venezuelan immigrant with a gunshot wound to the leg, now faces intense scrutiny, with the agents potentially facing termination and criminal prosecution. This development casts a harsh light on the aggressive enforcement tactics employed during a recently concluded federal operation in Minnesota.

Federal Agents Sidelined Amid Perjury Probe

In a formal statement Friday, a DHS spokesperson confirmed that an internal review of the January 14 incident uncovered significant discrepancies between the agents' accounts and video evidence.

"A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements," said spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

The agents, who are part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation.

McLaughlin affirmed the department's commitment to accountability, stating, "The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct. Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated."

Conflicting Accounts of a Violent Encounter

The official story from federal authorities has unraveled dramatically since the night of the shooting. The incident involved Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, the subject of what DHS first called a "targeted traffic stop," who was shot in the leg. Another man, Alfredo Aljorna, was also implicated.

The narrative shift highlights a stark contrast between the agents' claims and emerging evidence.

• Initial DHS Claim: The department's first public statement painted a picture of a life-threatening ambush. It claimed an officer fired his weapon to "save his life" after being "ambushed and attacked" by three immigrants wielding a snow shovel and a broom handle.

• Eyewitness Contradiction: This official account was immediately challenged by eyewitnesses. Indriany Mendoza Camacho, Sosa-Celis's partner, told local media she saw the entire event. She insisted that her partner was unarmed and was attempting to de-escalate a confrontation between an agent and Aljorna. "I'm a witness, I saw everything, and my partner never grabbed anything to hit him or anything like that," she stated last week.

• Legal Reversal: The most significant blow to the government's case came on Thursday when Minnesota U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen abruptly moved to drop all assault charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna. This prosecutorial decision signaled a profound loss of confidence in the evidence and the testimony provided by the federal agents involved. When questioned, DHS did not reaffirm its initial claim of self-defense.

Scrutiny Mounts Over ICE Enforcement and Accountability

This public reversal comes as ICE's use-of-force policies face broader examination. Just one day before the charges were dropped in Minnesota, ICE's acting director, Todd Lyons, testified before Congress about the agency's internal oversight.

Lyons disclosed that ICE has conducted 37 separate investigations into officers' use of force over the past year. However, he provided no data on the outcomes of these probes or whether any personnel had been terminated as a result.

The DHS's public acknowledgment of potential misconduct by its own agents is highly unusual for a federal law enforcement body. It suggests the video evidence is so compelling that it made the agents' sworn statements untenable, forcing the department to take preemptive action to contain the fallout.

A Controversial Operation Ends Under a Cloud

The Minneapolis shooting was not an isolated incident but part of a massive, short-term immigration crackdown dubbed "Operation Metro Surge." The operation's conclusion was announced by the Trump administration on Thursday, the same day the charges against the Venezuelan men were dropped.

The operation's details underscore the high-stakes environment in which the shooting occurred.

• Massive Scale: Beginning in December, Operation Metro Surge brought approximately 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota for an aggressive enforcement push.

• Arrest Totals: According to White House border czar Tom Homan, the operation resulted in the arrest of more than 4,000 undocumented immigrants across the region.

• Other Fatalities: The operation has also been linked to the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti. Federal authorities have confirmed that those two separate shooting incidents are also under investigation, adding to the list of serious use-of-force cases stemming from the surge.

What Happens Next

With the initial case dismissed and the agents under investigation, the focus now shifts to institutional accountability and potential criminal liability for the officers themselves. The path forward involves multiple parallel tracks.

• Internal Investigation: The formal investigation by ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility, in conjunction with the DOJ, will continue. As stated by DHS, this could lead to the agents' termination if they are found to have violated policy or their sworn oath.

• Criminal Prosecution: The finding of "untruthful statements" in sworn testimony opens the door to potential criminal charges against the officers, which could include perjury or filing false official reports. The Department of Justice will ultimately decide whether to pursue such charges.

• Lingering Questions: DHS has yet to formally retract its initial press release describing the incident as an "ambush." The agency's handling of the initial information and its subsequent reversal will likely draw scrutiny from congressional oversight committees and civil rights organizations.

• Broader Oversight: This high-profile collapse of a federal case, combined with the other deaths during Operation Metro Surge, is expected to intensify calls for greater transparency and stricter oversight of ICE's special enforcement operations and use-of-force protocols nationwide. The incident serves as a stark case study in the collision between aggressive enforcement and the legal and ethical standards governing federal law enforcement.