ICE Officers Face Perjury Probe After Minneapolis Charges Collapse
A federal judge in Minneapolis on Friday ordered the dismissal of felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men accused of attacking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, after prosecutors acknowledged that newly discovered evidence undercut key government claims.
The men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, were originally charged in connection with a Jan. 14 confrontation where an ICE officer fired a single shot that struck Sosa-Celis in the thigh. Prosecutors had alleged the men struck the officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel during an attempted arrest.
But the U.S. Department of Justice moved to dismiss the case, saying “newly discovered evidence” was “materially inconsistent with the allegations” in the complaint and at a hearing last month. The dismissal was granted with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled.
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In a related development, federal authorities opened a criminal investigation into whether two immigration officers provided false testimony under oath about the events leading to the shooting. ICE Director Todd Lyons confirmed that video evidence contradicted portions of their sworn statements, leading to a joint probe with the Department of Justice. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the inquiry, and could face termination or criminal prosecution.
The reversal follows broader criticism of aggressive federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge, which has seen multiple controversial encounters and disputed accounts of shootings. Video footage has increasingly challenged official narratives in several incidents, raising questions about federal charging decisions and use of force.
Defense attorneys for Aljorna and Sosa-Celis celebrated the dismissal, saying the case was built on faulty testimony and that their clients should never have been charged. Prosecutors have offered limited details about the specific evidence that prompted the reversal, and it remains unclear if any state charges could follow or whether the men may face immigration consequences such as deportation.
The ongoing perjury probe into ICE officers’ testimony will likely be a central issue in upcoming legal proceedings and could have broader implications for federal immigration enforcement practices.
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