The Justice Department asked a court to dismiss with prejudice charges against two Venezuelan men after newly reviewed evidence contradicted earlier filings. ICE acknowledged that its agents made false statements under oath; two agents have been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. Family videos and livestreams conflict with the agency’s initial account, and legal analysts say the case highlights a broader pattern of official narratives later undermined by evidence.
DOJ Drops Charges After Video Evidence, ICE Admits Agents Made False Statements in Minneapolis Shooting
Federal immigration officers look on during a protest outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on January 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. - Adam Gray/AP
A federal prosecutor moved this week to dismiss with prejudice criminal charges against two Venezuelan men after newly reviewed evidence contradicted earlier filings in a Minneapolis shooting. The Justice Department said prosecutors provided incorrect information to the court, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged that its agents made "false statements" under oath.
What Happened
Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, a DoorDash driver, was working an evening shift in Minneapolis when he realized he was being followed by ICE agents, his attorney said. He drove home, ran from his car and was tackled by an agent, then broke free and entered a house where his cousin, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, was waiting. As the door was being shut and locked, Sosa-Celis says he was shot in the leg by an ICE agent.
Federal agents pull over a car after an alleged collision with them on the highway in Minneapolis on February 3, 2026. - Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Conflicting Official Accounts
Within days of the Jan. 14 incident, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a news release saying Sosa-Celis had been driving, tried to evade arrest, crashed into a parked car and then violently assaulted an agent — including striking the officer with a shovel or broom, DHS said. Two other people, the agency added, also attacked the officer.
Two days later, Justice Department prosecutors filed charging documents that presented a different narrative: the filing identified Aljorna — not Sosa-Celis — as the driver, alleging the vehicle hit a light pole and that both men later struck an agent with a shovel or broomstick before an officer fired a single round toward their direction.
Community members film with their phones from across the street on January 13, 2026, as federal agents conduct an immigration raid days after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. - Tim Evans/Reuters
New Evidence and DOJ Reversal
On Thursday the Justice Department asked the court to dismiss the charges with prejudice, citing "newly discovered evidence" that materially contradicted assertions in the charging documents. The motion did not detail the video evidence but said the material was inconsistent with the allegations prosecutors had advanced.
ICE Director Todd Lyons said the two federal agents involved have been placed on administrative leave while the Justice Department investigates their "untruthful statements." Lyons added the agents could be fired and might face criminal prosecution.
A woman carries flowers on February 12, 2026, at a memorial for Renee Nicole Good who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. - Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Voices From The Family And Defense
Aljorna’s attorney, Frederick J. Goetz, called the shooting "an absolute unreasonable use of force," accusing the officer of fabricating claims to justify the action. Sosa-Celis, speaking from a hospital bed during a Facebook livestream, said he was shot while closing the door after helping his cousin get inside. Family videos and livestreams reviewed by reporters depict frantic phone calls, agents approaching the home and a flash-bang detonation outside the residence.
Lawyers for both men described the DOJ’s motion as "extraordinary" and "exceedingly rare." With the dismissal filed with prejudice, federal prosecutors cannot refile the same charges against the men in this matter.
Context And Broader Concerns
Legal analysts and civil-rights advocates say the case fits a troubling pattern in which quick public statements by federal agencies after law-enforcement shootings have later been undercut by video or other evidence. Observers point to earlier high-profile cases where footage raised questions about initial government accounts.
Senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted that repeated inconsistencies have eroded some judicial and public confidence in official narratives, and that prosecutors have a duty to correct the record when inaccuracies are discovered.
What Comes Next
The investigation into the agents’ statements and the internal review at ICE are ongoing. Sosa-Celis’s lawyer said his client is "determined to seek justice and hold the ICE officer accountable for his unlawful conduct." The DOJ has declined further comment on the motion, and DHS has not provided additional detail about the evidence cited in the filing.
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