SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
An immigration enforcement agent directs observers on January 13, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Yet Another Case of ICE Agents—and DHS Officials—Lying About Shooting Incident Emerges
"This agency cannot continue to exist," said Rep. Rob Menendez of ICE.
Feb 13, 2026
Two US immigration enforcement officers are now under federal investigation after it was revealed that they seem to have lied about the circumstances that led up to the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant last month.
As reported by Politico on Friday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons acknowledged that two federal officers appear "to have made untruthful statements" about a confrontation in Minneapolis in January that culminated in one of the officers shooting Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
The officers claimed that Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan immigrant, Alfredo Aljorna, assaulted them with a broom and a shovel, which forced one of the officers to open fire in self-defense.
While the two men had been charged with assaulting the officers in the wake of the shooting, charges against them were abruptly dismissed on Thursday when prosecutors revealed that "newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations" made under oath by the officers.
Lyons said that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is now investigating the two officers, who have been placed on administrative leave until the probe concludes.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month defended the officers and parroted their claims about the shooting.
"What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement," Noem claimed. "Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot."
Noem has come under fire in recent weeks for lying about shootings involving federal immigration officials, such as when she falsely claimed that slain Minneapolis intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was aiming "to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement" while filming officers' activities.
In reality, video footage showed Pretti never drew his handgun during his deadly confrontation with federal immigration officers, while also clearly showing that officers disarmed him before they opened fire.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said that the newly uncovered evidence in Sosa-Celis' case showed that the officer not only didn't discharge his weapon in self-defense, but he "fired his gun through a closed door, striking the people inside."
The Minnesota House of Representatives Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Caucus accused federal immigration agents of systematically lying to cover up unjustified shootings.
"They’re hiding evidence, stifling investigations, and fabricating information," wrote the Minnesota House DFL on social media. "They’re lying to your face. We won’t let them get away with it—Minnesotans deserve justice."
US Rep. Rob Menedez (D-NJ) said that lying appears to be endemic in the entire Trump administration.
"The Trump administration has consistently lied about ICE's violent acts toward Americans and the abuses that this agency perpetuates every day," he wrote. "They aren't afraid to lie about members of Congress, and they certainly aren't afraid to lie about any American they have killed, shot, or assaulted. This agency cannot continue to exist."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Two US immigration enforcement officers are now under federal investigation after it was revealed that they seem to have lied about the circumstances that led up to the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant last month.
As reported by Politico on Friday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons acknowledged that two federal officers appear "to have made untruthful statements" about a confrontation in Minneapolis in January that culminated in one of the officers shooting Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
The officers claimed that Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan immigrant, Alfredo Aljorna, assaulted them with a broom and a shovel, which forced one of the officers to open fire in self-defense.
While the two men had been charged with assaulting the officers in the wake of the shooting, charges against them were abruptly dismissed on Thursday when prosecutors revealed that "newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations" made under oath by the officers.
Lyons said that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is now investigating the two officers, who have been placed on administrative leave until the probe concludes.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month defended the officers and parroted their claims about the shooting.
"What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement," Noem claimed. "Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot."
Noem has come under fire in recent weeks for lying about shootings involving federal immigration officials, such as when she falsely claimed that slain Minneapolis intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was aiming "to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement" while filming officers' activities.
In reality, video footage showed Pretti never drew his handgun during his deadly confrontation with federal immigration officers, while also clearly showing that officers disarmed him before they opened fire.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said that the newly uncovered evidence in Sosa-Celis' case showed that the officer not only didn't discharge his weapon in self-defense, but he "fired his gun through a closed door, striking the people inside."
The Minnesota House of Representatives Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Caucus accused federal immigration agents of systematically lying to cover up unjustified shootings.
"They’re hiding evidence, stifling investigations, and fabricating information," wrote the Minnesota House DFL on social media. "They’re lying to your face. We won’t let them get away with it—Minnesotans deserve justice."
US Rep. Rob Menedez (D-NJ) said that lying appears to be endemic in the entire Trump administration.
"The Trump administration has consistently lied about ICE's violent acts toward Americans and the abuses that this agency perpetuates every day," he wrote. "They aren't afraid to lie about members of Congress, and they certainly aren't afraid to lie about any American they have killed, shot, or assaulted. This agency cannot continue to exist."
From Your Site Articles
- Miller Says He and Trump Will Use Law Enforcement to 'Dismantle' the Left After Kirk Shooting ›
- Scapegoating Turns America’s Streets Into a Shooting Range for ICE and Border Patrol ›
- ‘Dark, Bizarre Stuff’: White House Posts Deepfake Image of Arrested ICE Protester Crying ›
- 'How Many Other Killings Are They Concealing?' ICE Shot Ruben Ray Martinez in Texas Last March | Common Dreams ›
- 'The Agents Were Lying': ICE Exposed Yet Again by Video of Minneapolis Shooting | Common Dreams ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Two US immigration enforcement officers are now under federal investigation after it was revealed that they seem to have lied about the circumstances that led up to the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant last month.
As reported by Politico on Friday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons acknowledged that two federal officers appear "to have made untruthful statements" about a confrontation in Minneapolis in January that culminated in one of the officers shooting Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
The officers claimed that Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan immigrant, Alfredo Aljorna, assaulted them with a broom and a shovel, which forced one of the officers to open fire in self-defense.
While the two men had been charged with assaulting the officers in the wake of the shooting, charges against them were abruptly dismissed on Thursday when prosecutors revealed that "newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations" made under oath by the officers.
Lyons said that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is now investigating the two officers, who have been placed on administrative leave until the probe concludes.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month defended the officers and parroted their claims about the shooting.
"What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement," Noem claimed. "Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot."
Noem has come under fire in recent weeks for lying about shootings involving federal immigration officials, such as when she falsely claimed that slain Minneapolis intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was aiming "to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement" while filming officers' activities.
In reality, video footage showed Pretti never drew his handgun during his deadly confrontation with federal immigration officers, while also clearly showing that officers disarmed him before they opened fire.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said that the newly uncovered evidence in Sosa-Celis' case showed that the officer not only didn't discharge his weapon in self-defense, but he "fired his gun through a closed door, striking the people inside."
The Minnesota House of Representatives Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Caucus accused federal immigration agents of systematically lying to cover up unjustified shootings.
"They’re hiding evidence, stifling investigations, and fabricating information," wrote the Minnesota House DFL on social media. "They’re lying to your face. We won’t let them get away with it—Minnesotans deserve justice."
US Rep. Rob Menedez (D-NJ) said that lying appears to be endemic in the entire Trump administration.
"The Trump administration has consistently lied about ICE's violent acts toward Americans and the abuses that this agency perpetuates every day," he wrote. "They aren't afraid to lie about members of Congress, and they certainly aren't afraid to lie about any American they have killed, shot, or assaulted. This agency cannot continue to exist."
From Your Site Articles
- Miller Says He and Trump Will Use Law Enforcement to 'Dismantle' the Left After Kirk Shooting ›
- Scapegoating Turns America’s Streets Into a Shooting Range for ICE and Border Patrol ›
- ‘Dark, Bizarre Stuff’: White House Posts Deepfake Image of Arrested ICE Protester Crying ›
- 'How Many Other Killings Are They Concealing?' ICE Shot Ruben Ray Martinez in Texas Last March | Common Dreams ›
- 'The Agents Were Lying': ICE Exposed Yet Again by Video of Minneapolis Shooting | Common Dreams ›
Related Articles Around the Web
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.