Two Venezuelan nationals, Alfredo Ajorna and Julio Sosa‑Celis, were ordered released by a federal judge after a Jan. 14 arrest in north Minneapolis but were re‑detained by ICE agents immediately afterward. Defense attorneys filed an emergency habeas corpus petition, and Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz barred their removal from Minnesota while ordering the government to explain the re‑detention by Friday. DHS says an officer was ambushed and fired a defensive shot that hit Sosa‑Celis; the defense says photos and witness statements raise questions about the timing of that shot.
ICE Re‑Arrests Two Venezuelan Men Immediately After Federal Judge Ordered Their Release
ICE re-arrests two Venezuelan men after federal judge's release order
Two Venezuelan nationals ordered released this week by a federal judge after being accused of assaulting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer were taken back into ICE custody almost immediately, court records and local reporting show.
Who: Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna, 26, and Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, 24, were the two men named in federal court documents cited by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
ICE arrested three men who were allegedly involved in hitting an agent with a shovel during an enforcement operation.(Getty Images)
What happened: A judge found Tuesday that the men did not pose a heightened flight risk and ordered their release under conditions. Defense attorneys say neither man left the courthouse before ICE agents detained them again "without explanation," prompting an emergency habeas corpus petition filed late the same day.
Judicial Response
Minnesota Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz barred ICE from removing the men from the state and ordered the federal government to explain the re‑detention by Friday. The petition filed by the defense calls the re‑detention "unconstitutional" and requests immediate release.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk near their vehicles, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Richfield, Minn.
"This re‑detention is unconstitutional, and they should be immediately released," attorney Brian Clark wrote in the emergency habeas petition, according to court filings.
Background: Jan. 14 Arrest in North Minneapolis
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE agents attempted a targeted traffic stop on Jan. 14 to arrest Sosa‑Celis. DHS says Sosa‑Celis fled in a vehicle, crashed into a parked car, ran on foot and was pursued by an officer. DHS alleges the suspect resisted and assaulted the officer; two others then emerged from a nearby apartment and struck the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle.
DHS reports that the ICE officer fired a defensive shot that struck Sosa‑Celis in the leg. Despite being wounded, DHS says Sosa‑Celis and the other two men retreated into the apartment and barricaded themselves. All three were eventually taken into federal custody and the officer and Sosa‑Celis were hospitalized.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection police officers stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building during a protest on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Disputed Details
Defense attorneys told the court that photographs and witness statements raise questions about the timing and circumstances of the shooting, including whether the defensive shot was fired after the suspects had already entered the residence. The defense also highlighted that a federal affidavit cited by local reporting does not mention the third named individual, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez‑Ledezma, who reportedly is being held in a federal facility in Texas and has not been federally charged in connection with the Minneapolis incident.
The re‑detention prompted immediate judicial scrutiny and a court order requiring the government to explain its actions while preventing removal from the state pending that explanation.
Help us improve.
