ICE says 2 officers may have lied under oath about shooting migrant in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- The acting caput of Immigration and Customs Enforcement says that 2 of its officers look to person made "untruthful statements" astir shooting a migrant successful Minnesota and whitethorn look national charges for their actions.

"Today, a associated reappraisal by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video grounds has revealed that sworn grounds provided by 2 abstracted officers appears to person made untruthful statements," Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said successful a statement.

"Both officers person been instantly placed connected administrative permission pending the completion of a thorough interior investigation. Lying nether oath is simply a superior national offense. The U.S. Attorney's Office is actively investigating these mendacious statements," the connection said.

"The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the regularisation of instrumentality and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct. Violations of this ineffable sworn oath volition not beryllium tolerated. ICE remains afloat committed to transparency, accountability, and the just enforcement of our nation's migration laws," Lyons added.

The connection from Lyons comes a time aft the apical national authoritative successful Minnesota asked a judge to disregard charges against 2 men, including 1 who was changeable successful the leg by an migration agent, citing "newly discovered evidence" successful what was initially framed arsenic a "violent" onslaught connected instrumentality enforcement during an enforcement operation.

"Newly discovered grounds successful this substance is materially inconsistent with the allegations successful the ailment affidavit. ... arsenic good arsenic the preliminary-hearing testimony,"  U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen wrote successful the filing Wednesday evening. It remains unclear what circumstantial caller grounds Rosen was referencing.

Rosen has asked the tribunal to disregard the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot beryllium refiled.

"Accordingly, dismissal with prejudice volition service the interests of justice," Rosen wrote.

In the aftermath of the shooting connected Jan. 14 --  a week aft an ICE cause fatally changeable Renee Good successful Minneapolis -- the Trump medication said the antheral who was shot, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, attacked a national instrumentality enforcement officer with a "shovel oregon a broom stick" and that the incidental was portion of "an effort to evade apprehension and obstruct instrumentality enforcement."

Lawyers for different antheral charged successful the incident, Alfredo Aljorna, said surveillance videos did not corroborate the FBI's claims that an cause was assaulted and said Sosa-Celis was changeable portion lasting astatine his doorway immoderate region distant from the officer.

Earlier this period attorneys for Aljorna besides urged a justice to prohibit the authorities from deporting cardinal witnesses who they said formed uncertainty that an cause was repeatedly struck with a broom oregon a snowfall shovel, Judge Paul Magnuson granted the request.

The reversal connected the battle charges for Sosa-Celis and Aljorna comes aft respective discrepancies emerged betwixt statements from Department of Homeland Security officials and details outlined successful tribunal records regarding their arrests.   

DHS initially said successful statements to media that officers were conducting a "targeted postulation stop" for Sosa-Celis when helium fled successful his vehicle, crashed into different car and attempted to evade arrest. The bureau alleged that Sosa-Celis "violently" assaulted an serviceman and that 2 different individuals exited a adjacent flat and joined the attack "with a snowfall shovel and broom handle."

According to DHS, Sosa-Celis struck the serviceman with "a shovel oregon broom stick," prompting the serviceman to occurrence what the bureau described arsenic a antiaircraft changeable "to support his life," striking Sosa-Celis successful the leg.

However, an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Timothy Schanz, who investigated the shooting, stated that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents were attempting to halt a antithetic man identified arsenic Joffre Stalin Paucar Barrera -- not Sosa-Celis -- whom they believed was successful the state illegally. According to Schanz, agents aboriginal identified the driver DHS agents stopped arsenic a antithetic man, Aljorna.

Schanz wrote that Aljorna struck a airy rod and fled connected ft toward his flat building.

Sosa-Celis was allegedly lasting connected the structure and yelling astatine Aljorna to tally faster, the affidavit says. Aljorna slipped and allegedly "began tussling" with the cause earlier Sosa-Celis grabbed a broom and began striking the agent, according to the affidavit.

The cause "then saw who helium believed was a 3rd Hispanic antheral attack with a snowfall shovel, and this antheral besides began striking" him, Schanz said successful the affidavit. The 3rd antheral was identified arsenic Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma by DHS, who accused him of besides assaulting the officer.

Sosa-Celis was changeable successful the limb arsenic helium attempted to spell wrong the apartment, the affidavit says.

Video reviewed by ABC News' Visual Verification squad includes a 911 telephone from individuals identified arsenic relatives of Sosa-Celis, who said agents fired arsenic helium was attempting to adjacent the door.