Minneapolis authorities made public security camera footage Monday that captured a January confrontation between federal immigration enforcement agents and two Venezuelan men, an incident that resulted in one man being shot and has since sparked a criminal investigation into potential perjury by federal officers.
The surveillance video, recorded by a city-owned camera, documents portions of an encounter where immigration agents pursued a Venezuelan man to his home. During the ensuing altercation, another Venezuelan resident at the location was wounded by gunfire. In February, federal prosecutors dismissed all criminal charges against both immigrants and launched an investigation into whether two immigration enforcement officers provided false testimony under oath regarding the incident.
Minneapolis made the footage public following reporting by the New York Times, which had previously obtained the video and questioned why it took several weeks for the federal case against the two men to fall apart. According to the Times, federal investigators had the video available within hours of the January 14 shooting but didn’t review it until almost three weeks after filing charges against the two men.
“The video makes it crystal clear that, just like in other situations during Operation Metro Surge, the federal government’s account of what happened simply does not match the facts,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement.
Immigration authorities originally claimed that Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis attacked an ICE agent using a broom handle and snow shovel during the encounter. The agent discharged one round from his weapon, hitting Sosa-Celis in the right thigh. Demonstrators soon gathered at the location and confronted additional officers who had arrived wearing protective gear including gas masks and helmets.
Minneapolis officials offered minimal explanation of what the footage shows, stating only that it was “related” to the shooting incident. Their statement noted, “The City has no additional information and will not be making further comments at this time.”
The distant, nighttime footage appears to capture someone holding a snow shovel near the street outside the residence, then backing toward the house and throwing the shovel into the yard. This occurs as someone being pursued by another individual runs up from the street, stumbles on the sidewalk, recovers, and continues toward the house.
The three individuals appear to engage in a brief struggle near the front entrance lasting approximately 10 seconds. The precise moment of the shooting is not clearly visible. A vehicle with emergency lights arrives, followed by another person approaching the scene.
The camera’s movement suggests it was being operated manually in real-time, as it panned to focus on the street where the incident unfolded before any emergency vehicles appeared.
Charges against Aljorna and Sosa-Celis were withdrawn following an extraordinary filing by Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, who cited “newly discovered evidence” that was “materially inconsistent with the allegations” in the original criminal complaint and evidence presented during their preliminary hearing. He determined that dismissal with prejudice, preventing the charges from being refiled, “would serve the interests of justice.”
Rosen and other federal prosecutors handling the case, along with the Department of Justice, did not respond to Associated Press requests for comment Monday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement made no reference to the video in their statement but confirmed their previous announcement that two officers involved appeared to have provided false testimony under oath and were immediately suspended pending an internal investigation. The officers’ identities have not been disclosed.
“Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating these false statements,” the ICE statement said. “Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution.”
The statement provided no update on the status of their case.
Aljorna’s legal representative did not respond to requests for comment. Sosa-Celis’ lawyer, Robin Wolpert, stated, “The video is evidence in ongoing state and federal investigations so I can’t comment.”
Both men remain free while pursuing legal immigration status. They were released even before criminal charges were dropped, though ICE briefly detained them again for alleged immigration violations before another court order secured their release.
State and local prosecutors have expressed frustration with federal authorities’ unwillingness to share information about this incident and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers. They filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last month seeking access to evidence they say is necessary for independent investigations of all three shootings.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office refused to comment on the video, citing the ongoing investigation.
