DOJ Probes ICE Officers Over Alleged False Testimony in Minneapolis Migrant Shooting
Federal prosecutors and ICE have opened a joint DOJ–ICE criminal probe after video evidence reportedly shows sworn testimony by two ICE officers in the Jan. 14 Minneapolis shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis “appears to have made untruthful statements,” and both agents have been placed on administrative leave. Prosecutors moved to dismiss assault charges against Sosa‑Celis and another man amid materially inconsistent evidence — defense attorneys and witnesses say surveillance and testimony contradict officers’ claims (including alleged hits with a broom or shovel) — and the officers could face termination or criminal prosecution if the review finds perjury or false statements.
📌 Key Facts
- ICE Director Todd Lyons and DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed a joint ICE–DOJ criminal investigation into whether two unnamed ICE officers lied under oath about the Jan. 14 Minneapolis shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, based on video evidence that appears to show untruthful statements.
- Both officers have been placed on administrative leave and could face termination and criminal prosecution if the probe finds they lied under oath; Lyons warned that lying under oath is a serious federal offense.
- Federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the assault-on-officer charges against Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis and another man; the case was dismissed with prejudice after a U.S. Attorney motion said new evidence is materially inconsistent with prior allegations.
- Defense filings, eyewitness accounts (including Indriany Mendoza Camacho), and surveillance footage reportedly do not corroborate officers' claims that Sosa‑Celis struck an agent; one resident denied going outside and no witnesses corroborated the alleged shovel attack.
- The FBI affidavit initially alleged Sosa‑Celis hit an officer with a broom handle and that a third person hit an officer with a shovel, but those specific claims lack corroboration according to prosecutors and defense evidence.
- Defense attorneys say the ICE agent recklessly shot through a closed door, and note Sosa‑Celis has Temporary Protected Status, no prior violent convictions, and worked as a DoorDash driver.
- DHS initially framed the shooting as an officer firing to save his life after being ambushed with a snow shovel and broom handle; DHS has been notably silent on whether it still stands by that self‑defense narrative following the review.
- Reporting ties the incident to Operation Metro Surge and points to a broader pattern in which preliminary agency accounts (including a separate CBP review of the Alex Pretti case) have been contradicted by later evidence; early political characterizations, such as Gov. Kristi Noem calling it an attempted murder of federal law enforcement, are undercut by DOJ's decision to abandon the case and investigate officers' testimony.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 13, 2026
11:50 PM
DOJ investigating whether ICE officers lied about migrant’s shooting
New information:
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told MS NOW that a joint ICE–DOJ review of video evidence found that sworn testimony by two ICE officers appears to contain 'untruthful statements' about the shooting.
- Federal prosecutors have moved to dismiss the assault-on-officer case against Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and another man, and are now themselves reviewing the officers’ statements for potential criminal liability (perjury/false statements).
- The FBI affidavit that originally supported the charges alleged Sosa-Celis struck an officer with a broom handle and that a 'third Hispanic male' hit him with a shovel, but another resident denied going outside and no witnesses corroborated the shovel claim.
- Defense filings say multiple witnesses and surveillance footage do not support the officer’s story that Sosa-Celis hit him, and note Sosa-Celis has Temporary Protected Status, no prior violent convictions, and worked as a DoorDash driver.
- Kristi Noem’s early characterization of the incident as an 'attempted murder of federal law enforcement' is now directly undercut by DOJ’s move to abandon the case and investigate her agents’ testimony.
10:04 PM
DHS says immigration agents appear to have lied about shooting in Minnesota
New information:
- DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin publicly stated that a joint ICE–DOJ review of video evidence found sworn testimony by two officers in the Jan. 14 shooting case 'appears to have made untruthful statements.'
- McLaughlin confirmed both agents have been placed on administrative leave and could face firing or criminal prosecution depending on the investigation’s outcome.
- DHS’s initial statement had claimed the officer fired to 'save his life' after being 'ambushed and attacked' with a snow shovel and broom handle; DHS is now notably silent on whether it still stands by that self‑defense narrative.
- NPR ties the shooting explicitly to Operation Metro Surge and notes that a separate CBP preliminary review of the killing of Alex Pretti also contradicted the Trump administration’s first public account.
- Eyewitness Indriany Mendoza Camacho reiterates that Sosa‑Celis did not grab any object to hit the agent and was trying to separate the men so both Venezuelans could get inside the house.
8:43 PM
Feds investigate whether ICE officers lied about shooting of Venezuelan man in Minneapolis
New information:
- ICE Director Todd Lyons publicly confirmed a joint ICE–Justice Department criminal investigation into whether two unnamed immigration officers lied under oath about the Jan. 14 shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
- Lyons said video evidence shows sworn testimony from two separate officers 'appears to have made untruthful statements' and that the agents have been placed on administrative leave pending the probe.
- U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen’s motion to dismiss characterized the new evidence as 'materially inconsistent' with prior allegations, and the case was dismissed with prejudice by Judge Paul A. Magnuson.
- Defense attorney Brian D. Clark asserted the ICE agent 'recklessly shot into their home through a closed door' and that the entire prosecution rested on those now‑disputed statements.
- Lyons explicitly warned that lying under oath is a 'serious federal offense' and said the officers could face termination and criminal prosecution once the investigation concludes.