A criminal investigation is underway following an admission from a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official that two of its agents may have lied under oath about an incident involving the shooting of a Venezuelan man.
Echoing other recent incidents involving ICE agents, such as the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis, the January 14 event that left Julio Sosa-Celis with a leg injury was initially described as ‘attempted murder’ by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Homeland Security had initially alleged that Sosa-Celis was in a vehicle with his cousin Alfredo Aljorna and another individual when all three supposedly attacked an immigration officer, prompting the officer to shoot the Venezuelan man.
However, Aljorna’s lawyer stated that Sosa-Celis was actually injured after Aljorna was followed home by immigration agents. The agents allegedly fired through the door after he fled into his cousin’s property, striking Sosa-Celis.
Legal documents from the January event show the two officers claimed to be attacked by Sosa-Celis and his companions, supposedly wielding a broom handle and a snow shovel.
ICE’s Acting Director Todd Lyons has now confessed that the agents involved provided ‘untruthful statements’ regarding the sequence of events leading to the shooting of Sosa-Celis.
In a surprising turn of events, Lyons stated on Friday: “A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.”
This revision came a day after the Department of Justice dismissed felony assault charges against Aljorno and Sosa-Celis, acknowledging that false information had been presented in court.
ICE attributed this to the officers’ ‘false statements’.
As a result of these apparent false claims, both officers have been relieved from their duties, Lyons disclosed, describing the allegation as ‘a serious federal offense.’
Lyons further stated: “Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation….The U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating these false statements.”
This unexpected development followed video evidence contradicting the officers’ account of the incident, according to DHS official Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to People.
“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,” she said.
She added: “Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”
Sosa-Celis and Aljorno are reportedly ‘happy’ about their release, with their attorney expressing: “The charges against them were based on lies by an ICE agent who recklessly shot into their home through a closed door.
“They are so happy justice is being served by the government’s request to dismiss all charges with prejudice. The identity of the ICE agent should be made public and he should be charged for his crime.”