The director of the American federal immigration police (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE), Todd Lyons, announced on Friday February 13 the suspension of two agents for making false statements after opening fire on a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis (Minnesota).
The events occurred on January 14 in front of a residence during a traffic stop of an illegal Venezuelan immigrant who was trying to escape. The Department of Homeland Security had claimed that while the person being pursued struggled to escape an ICE agent, “two individuals came out of a neighboring apartment and attacked the agent with a snow shovel and a broom handle”. The ICE officer then “fired a defensive shot to protect his life”hitting one of these two men in the leg, according to the same source. The latter was arrested and charged, as was the first immigrant initially targeted by the arrest.
But on Thursday, the prosecution dropped the charges, explaining that “new evidence uncovered in this case materially contradicts the accusations” brought against the two men.
The latter denied having attacked the police officer. The testimonies of a neighbor and the companions of the two men also did not corroborate the agent’s version according to which he was attacked with a broom or a shovel, nor that a third person was involved. “The charges were based on the lies of an ICE agent who fired indiscriminately,” said Brian D. Clark, the attorney for the two men facing the charges. “They are very happy that justice has been done”he added. If they had been convicted, they faced several years in prison.
“Video footage revealed that two officers appear to have provided false statements in their sworn testimony”explained the director of ICE in a press release. “These two officers were immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation. Lying under oath is a serious federal offense »he stressed.
Precedents of perjury
In October, the Department of Homeland Security had already accused a woman, in possession of a semi-automatic weapon, of having rammed her vehicle into a Border Patrol patrol in Chicago (Illinois). The agents had been “forced to carry out defensive fire”hurting the woman, “who went to the hospital herself to have her injuries treated”.
But in November, the prosecution abandoned without explanation the charges against this woman, Marimar Martinez, targeted by five shots, as well as a man arrested the same day, notably after the broadcast of videos showing a police officer hitting her car with his vehicle.
After Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans, Minneapolis is the latest city led by Democrats targeted by a vast operation to arrest illegal immigrants launched by the Trump administration.
These operations carried out in a city under tension since the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two Americans shot dead by federal agents, will end after two months of intense protest, announced Thursday, Donald Trump’s emissary, Tom Homan.
date: 2026-02-14 04:00:00
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