Two immigration agents may have made untruthful statements in sworn testimony about the shooting of a migrant in Minneapolis last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said.
ICE acting director Todd Lyons stated that the two unnamed officers were immediately placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. He noted, Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. On Friday, a judge granted a request to drop charges against two men accused of attacking the officers.
The Department of Homeland Security initially reported that a federal officer shot a man in the leg after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle by three migrants on January 14.
As the review progressed, Lyons indicated that the officers appeared to have provided inaccurate testimony, with the U.S. Attorney's Office actively investigating the matter. Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements, he said.
Lyons warned that, upon concluding the investigation, the officers could face termination and potential criminal prosecution. Following the January 14 incident, the DHS claimed that the shooting occurred after a car chase involving a Venezuelan national illegally present in the country, who got out of his car and engaged in an altercation with a federal agent.
The DHS previously represented the situation as a struggle during which the officers faced threats from multiple individuals, leading them to fire shots in self-defense. Shortly after, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the incident, stating that an agent was injured and receiving treatment. Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized local governance, attributing the rising tensions to poor leadership.
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