The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday that two federal immigration agents involved in the Jan. 14 shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis appear to have provided false sworn testimony.
NPR reported that DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the officers were placed on administrative leave after a joint review by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Justice Department examined video evidence that indicated "untruthful statements" may have been made.
"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," McLaughlin said. "Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated."
The incident involved Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg during what DHS initially described as a self-defense response after agents were "ambushed and attacked" during a targeted traffic stop.
However, eyewitness accounts, including testimony from his partner, Indriany Mendoza Camacho, disputed that version of events. "I'm a witness, I saw everything, and my partner never grabbed anything to hit him or anything like that," she told Minnesota Public Radio.
Federal prosecutors on Thursday dropped charges against Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan man previously accused of assaulting officers, while DHS said the agents could face dismissal or criminal prosecution depending on the outcome of the investigation.
The shooting occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement campaign launched in December that deployed roughly 3,000 federal agents across Minnesota.
The Trump administration announced the operation's end this week after more than 4,000 arrests, according to White House border czar Tom Homan, as federal authorities continue to investigate multiple fatal incidents linked to the crackdown.
