DHS Claims Migrant 'Beat Agent With A Shovel' — New Footage Shows No Attack Before ICE Agent Fired Through Closed Door

A nine-minute city surveillance video released on 6 April 2026 has thrown the government's own account of a January immigration enforcement shooting in north Minneapolis into serious doubt.

The footage, captured by a city-owned camera near North Lyndale Avenue and North 24th Avenue, shows a scuffle between a federal ICE agent and two Venezuelan men lasting less than 12 seconds, a stark contrast to the agent's sworn account that he had been 'fighting and tussling' for roughly three minutes before firing. It also appears to contradict repeated DHS claims that the agent was beaten with a snow shovel and broom handle before he discharged his weapon.

Two ICE agents have since been placed on administrative leave for allegedly making 'untruthful statements' under oath, all federal charges against the two men have been dropped with prejudice, and the U.S. Attorney's Office has opened a criminal investigation that could result in perjury prosecutions.

The DHS Account That Fell Apart

At 18:50 CT on 14 January 2026, federal immigration officers deployed under Operation Metro Surge attempted to stop a vehicle in north Minneapolis. The man driving was Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, 26, a Venezuelan national who had been making DoorDash deliveries that evening, according to his attorney. After a nearly 20-minute car chase, Aljorna veered into a snowbank near his North Side home and fled on foot.

The following day, the Department of Homeland Security issued a press release naming Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, 24, as the driver and the primary target of a 'targeted traffic stop.' The release stated that Sosa-Celis fled, resisted arrest, and was 'in a struggle on the ground' with the officer when 'two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.'

DHS said Sosa-Celis then 'got loose' and struck the agent with the shovel or broomstick, at which point the officer fired 'a defensive shot to defend his life.' Sosa-Celis was struck in the right thigh.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem amplified the account publicly. 'What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement,' Noem said in a 15 January statement. '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.' Both men were charged with felony assault of a federal agent and faced potential years in federal prison.

What the Surveillance Footage Shows

The nine-minute video, shot at distance in the dark and partially obscured by a tree, tells a materially different story. Sosa-Celis is visible in the front yard holding what appears to be a snow shovel. He tosses it into the snow before the ICE agent even reaches the yard. The shovel remains on the ground throughout and after the altercation. A stick-like object lands on the front steps as the men run toward the house, consistent with Aljorna's own statement to FBI agents that he threw a broom in the agent's direction — though he and Sosa-Celis both denied beating the officer.

According to Aljorna's attorney, Frederick J. Goetz, his client lost control of his car on ice, struck a snowbank, and was then tackled by an ICE agent just 10 feet from his front door. Aljorna slipped out of his jacket and ran toward his cousin. Both men got behind the front door and closed it when the shot rang out. Physical evidence collected by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, including a door with a bullet hole, supports the account that the agent fired through a closed door.

The scuffle visible on camera between all three individuals lasts under 12 seconds, from approximately 2:56 to 3:07 on the footage, before Sosa-Celis and Aljorna disengage and move toward the house. The agent's sworn statement to the FBI described the encounter as lasting 'about three minutes.'

The footage includes no audio. Immigration attorney Brian D. Clark, who represented both men in their immigration proceedings, stated plainly: 'The charges against them were based on lies by an ICE agent who recklessly shot into their home through a closed door.'

Charges Dropped, Agents Investigated for Perjury

On 12 February 2026, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice, writing that 'newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit.' U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson dismissed the felony charges against both men. Dismissal with prejudice means the government cannot refile the same charges. ICE Director Todd Lyons stated that 'sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,' and that 'lying under oath is a serious federal offense.'

Both agents were placed on administrative leave. Lyons said that, following the conclusion of the investigation, the officers could face termination and 'potential criminal prosecution.' The U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed it is actively investigating. Criminal defence attorney Robin Wolpert, who represented Sosa-Celis, told CNN: 'The video is evidence in ongoing federal and state investigations, so I cannot comment.' She had previously stated, 'My client is a crime victim.'

The New York Times, which first published the video, reported that authorities had access to the footage 'within hours of the shooting' on 14 January; yet federal prosecutors did not review it before filing charges and presenting testimony to a judge. Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara offered a terse assessment: the agents 'hung themselves,' he told the Star Tribune.

Two men who spent weeks in federal detention after being labelled 'attempted murderers' of federal law enforcement are now potential applicants for crime victim visas — and the officers whose sworn testimony put them there face criminal prosecution for perjury