ICE Officers on Leave Amid Federal Perjury Probe into Minneapolis Shooting of Venezuelan Man

A federal investigation into attainable perjury via Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials has been introduced following the dramatic dismissal of all fees towards two Venezuelan males in a Minneapolis taking pictures case. The probe, focused on sworn testimony that looks contradicted via video proof, has positioned two ICE brokers on administrative go away and raised severe questions on regulation enforcement duty in immigration enforcement operations.

Introduction: A Case Unravels

The case comes to a January 14, 2026, disagreement in Minneapolis that ended in an ICE officer taking pictures Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan nationwide, within the thigh. Initially, federal prosecutors charged Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna with violently assaulting the officer. However, all of the prosecution crumbled after U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Daniel N. Rosen, cited "newly discovered evidence" as "materially inconsistent" with the federal government’s unique allegations. This surprising reversal has now prompted a separate, high-stakes prison investigation into the behavior of the ICE officials concerned.

On February 13, 2026, ICE Director Todd Lyons publicly showed that his company, in a joint effort with the Department of Justice, is investigating whether or not two unnamed ICE officials dedicated perjury—a significant federal crime—of their accounts of the incident. The officials are on administrative go away, and Lyons said they may face termination and prison prosecution. This founder underscores a profound disaster of credibility for a federal company already below intense scrutiny for its enforcement techniques all the way through the Trump supervision’s national immigration crackdown.

Key Points at a Glance

• Federal Perjury Probe: The DOJ and ICE are collectively investigating if two ICE officials equipped false testimony below oath in regards to the January 14 taking pictures of a Venezuelan guy in Minneapolis.
• Officers on Leave: The two ICE officials concerned are on administrative go away pending the end result of the investigation and face attainable firing and prison fees.
• Charges Dismissed: All legal attack fees towards Venezuelan nationals Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis have been dropped because of proof inconsistent with the federal government’s preliminary filings.
• Video vs. Testimony: Available video proof and eyewitness accounts reportedly don’t strengthen the ICE officer’s declare of being assaulted with a brush and shovel, forming the core of the perjury fear.
• Broader Pattern: This case is a part of a development the place high-profile shootings involving federal immigration brokers and next legal instances towards protesters have collapsed below contradictory proof.
• Legal and Deportation Status: While prison fees are pushed aside, the immigration standing of Aljorna, Sosa-Celis, and a 3rd arrested guy, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledezma, stays unsure and may nonetheless result in removing court cases.
• State-Federal Tension: Minnesota state government have opened their very own investigation, however the FBI has reportedly refused to proportion proof or the shooter’s identification, complicating the method.

Background: The Incident and the Initial Narrative

The January 14 Confrontation

On the night time of January 14, 2026, an ICE officer tried to behavior a site visitors prevent on a car pushed via Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna in Minneapolis. According to the unique executive affidavit, Aljorna crashed the car and fled on foot towards his place of dwelling—a duplex condominium. An ICE officer pursued him. The executive’s narrative, as introduced in court docket filings, alleged that Aljorna violently resisted arrest. It additional claimed that Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and every other guy attacked the pursuing officer with a snow shovel and a brush take care of because the officer and Aljorna struggled at the floor. In the following disagreement, the officer fired his carrier weapon, placing Sosa-Celis in the proper thigh. The males then retreated into an upstairs condominium and barricaded the door, prompting federal officials to deploy tear gasoline. Concerned about two small children inside of, Aljorna and Sosa-Celis surrendered. A 3rd Venezuelan guy, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledezma, who lived downstairs, was once additionally arrested.

The Political Climate and Rhetoric

The incident came about towards the backdrop of the Trump supervision’s competitive, national immigration enforcement operations, incessantly known as a "crackdown," with Minneapolis-St. Paul rising as a notable center of attention. Immediately following the taking pictures, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pointedly criticized Minnesota’s Democratic market, together with Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. She accused them of "encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony." These statements framed the incident for instance of native officers tolerating, and even encouraging, violence towards federal brokers—a story that now seems essentially undermined via the federal prosecutor’s personal movement to disregard.

Analysis: The Collapse of the Prosecution & The Perjury Investigation

"Newly Discovered Evidence" and Material Inconsistencies

The prosecution’s case started to fracture all the way through a January 21 detention listening to. U.S. Attorney Rosen’s next movement to disregard all fees was once surprisingly terse, mentioning "newly discovered evidence" however providing no specifics. However, court docket court cases and next reporting published the vital fractures:

• Contradictory Accounts: The ICE officer’s sworn account of being violently assaulted with a brush and shovel was once without delay challenged via the defendants’ testimonies and the ones of 3 impartial eyewitnesses.
• Video Evidence: Available video photos didn’t corroborate the officer’s description of an attack with the ones particular guns or the involvement of a 3rd attacker.
• Defense Narratives: Defense legal professionals painted a distinct image. Brian D. Clark, representing each males, said his purchasers have been "crime victims" of an officer who "recklessly shot into their home through a closed door." Frederick Goetz (for Aljorna) stated Aljorna threw a broomstick as he ran towards the home. Robin M. Wolpert (for Sosa-Celis) said Sosa-Celis was once protecting a shovel however was once taking flight into the house when shot.

Critically, the federal government’s case seemed to depend nearly completely at the testimony of the only officer who fired his weapon. With that testimony now in query because of contradictory proof, the basis of the legal attack fees vanished.

The Perjury Investigation: Scope and Significance

ICE Director Lyons’s public acknowledgment of a perjury probe marks an extraordinary, specific admission via the company that its personal officials’ sworn statements are below prison suspicion. The investigation makes a speciality of whether or not the 2 officials (the shooter and most probably his spouse) "made untruthful statements" of their testimony or affidavits.

Legal Ramifications: Perjury below federal regulation (18 U.S.C. § 1621) is a legal punishable via as much as 5 years in jail. Lyons accurately famous this is a "serious federal offense." If proof helps the rate, the officials face no longer simplest termination from ICE but in addition attainable federal prosecution. The involvement of the U.S. Attorney’s place of work indicates the DOJ’s severe attention of prison fees.

Agency Integrity at Stake: Lyons framed the investigation as very important to upholding ICE’s requirements, declaring, "Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated." This rhetoric suggests a want to include the scandal and reveal duty, nevertheless it additionally highlights the interior harm when officer credibility is publicly challenged via their very own company and the federal prosecutor they paintings with.

Pattern of Contradiction in Federal Enforcement Cases

This Minneapolis case isn’t remoted. The article notes it "follows a string of high-profile shootings involving federal immigration agents in which eyewitness statements and video evidence have called into question claims made to justify using deadly force. Dozens of felony cases against protesters accused of assaulting or impeding federal officers have also crumbled." This development suggests systemic problems in how such incidents are to begin with documented and reported via sure federal regulation enforcement gadgets, doubtlessly stemming from a "shoot first, justify later" tradition or force to safe convictions in high-profile immigration operations. The perjury probe is an immediate outcome of this development breaking down below evidentiary scrutiny.

Practical Advice and Implications

For Immigrants and Communities

• Document Everything: This case underscores the vital significance of video and eyewitness proof. Individuals will have to take note of their proper to document police task (the place prison) and the significance of maintaining such photos securely.
• Seek Experienced Counsel Immediately: The a success protection on this case was once fastened via legal professionals who aggressively challenged the federal government’s narrative and sought exculpatory proof. Anyone topic to immigration or prison enforcement motion will have to safe prison illustration professional in each prison protection and immigration regulation.
• Understand the Dual Systems: A dismissal of prison fees does no longer routinely get to the bottom of immigration penalties. As famous, Aljorna and Sosa-Celis may nonetheless face deportation court cases in immigration court docket, which has a decrease usual of evidence ("clear and convincing evidence" vs. "beyond a reasonable doubt").

For Legal Practitioners and Reform Advocates

• Aggressive Discovery: Defense legal professionals will have to pursue all to be had video proof, mobile phone knowledge, and impartial witness statements right away. The perjury rate itself stems from proof exposed via the protection.
• Challenge Affidavits on the Outset: The flaws within the preliminary FBI affidavit have been uncovered later. Practitioners will have to scrutinize and, the place conceivable, contest the factual foundation of warrants and charging paperwork from the primary listening to.
• Call for Transparency: Attorneys like Clark and Wolpert have rightly demanded the discharge of the taking pictures officer’s title. Transparency is a prerequisite for duty. Advocates will have to force companies to undertake insurance policies mandating the steered liberate of officer identities in taking pictures incidents.
• Monitor Inter-Agency Cooperation: The refusal of the FBI to proportion proof with state investigators is a purple flag. This loss of administration can impede justice and will have to be challenged thru prison motions and public force.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

What is perjury and why is that this investigation vital?

Perjury is the intentional act of mendacity below oath all the way through a judicial continuing or in a sworn commentary like a testimony. It is essential as it moves on the middle of the justice gadget. If regulation enforcement officials dedicate perjury, it can result in wrongful arrests, convictions, and the usage of unjustified power. A federal probe into ICE officials for perjury is an unusual match that indicators a serious breakdown within the integrity of a selected operation.

What occurs to the 2 Venezuelan males now that fees are dropped?

Criminally, they’re loose from the legal attack fees. However, their immigration standing stays precarious. They have been to begin with encountered via ICE all the way through an enforcement motion. It is extremely most probably that ICE will search to reinstitute removing (deportation) court cases towards them in immigration court docket, a civil procedure become independent from the prison case. Their legal professionals will wish to shield them in the ones court cases.

Can the ICE officer who shot Sosa-Celis nonetheless be charged?

Yes, completely. The dismissal of fees towards Aljorna and Sosa-Celis does no longer preclude prison fees towards the officer. Minnesota state government have opened their very own prison investigation into the taking pictures itself. Potential fees may vary from attack to extra severe offenses, relying at the final findings of reality referring to whether or not the usage of fatal power was once justified. The federal perjury probe is a separate, parallel observe regarding the officer’s next statements, no longer the taking pictures itself.

Why did the U.S. Attorney drop the costs so swiftly?

The U.S. Attorney, Daniel Rosen, cited "newly discovered evidence" that was once "materially inconsistent" with the federal government’s case. This in most cases method proof that was once no longer to be had on the time of the arrest or preliminary filings got here to mild—possibly the video proof and corroborating eyewitness accounts that contradicted the only real officer’s testimony. Federal prosecutors have a moral legal responsibility to disregard fees once they turn into conscious about proof that undermines an inexpensive likelihood of conviction.

What does "administrative leave" imply for the officials?

Administrative go away is a body of workers motion, no longer a disciplinary one. It puts the officials on paid go away whilst an interior or exterior investigation (on this case, the joint DOJ/ICE perjury probe) is performed. It is a regular process to take away the folks from accountability all the way through a delicate investigation to keep the integrity of the method and deal with public consider. It does no longer indicate guilt; this is a impartial, precautionary step.

Conclusion: A Test of Accountability</