Federal officers appear to have lied about lead-up to immigrant shooting, ICE director says

By Christian Martinez

Feb 13 (Reuters) – Two federal officers appear to have lied about the events that led up to the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis last month, acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said Friday.

In a statement, Lyons said a review of video footage by ICE and the Department of Justice “has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.”

Both officers have been placed on administrative leave and the U.S. Attorney’s office is investigating the false statements, Lyons said.

“Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution,” Lyons said.

The announcement comes a day after the Justice Department moved to drop charges against the Venezuelan immigrant, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg, and another man accused of assaulting a federal officer.

The top federal prosecutor in Minnesota, Daniel Rosen, asked a judge to dismiss the charges, writing “newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations.” Rosen sought the dismissal with prejudice, which means the charges cannot be reintroduced.

ICE and federal agents have faced strong push back against their immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis during which two U.S. citizens have been killed. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said the surge would be winding down.

(Reporting by Christian Martinez and Kristina Cooke; editing by Michelle Nichols )