Lyons says video evidence indicates two officers’ sworn testimony “appears to have made untruthful statements”
U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementFederal immigration-enforcement agency, in a statement announced by Acting Director Todd Lyons
A day after federal prosecutors dropped the charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said a joint ICE-DOJ review of video evidence indicated the sworn testimony of two officers "appears to have made untruthful statements," and that both were placed on administrative leave pending investigation.
Responding to
Officer Christian Castro was ambushed and beaten with a snow shovel and broom handle by Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and two other men, and fired a single defensive shot because he feared for his life.
“A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements. Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation….The U.S. Attorney's Office is actively investigating these false statements.”
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this case
- DHS says Castro fired a defensive shot after being ambushed and beaten with a shovel and broomEarlier: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?
On January 14, 2026, ICE officer Christian Castro fired his service weapon through the closed front door of a north Minneapolis home during a foot pursuit that followed a traffic stop, wounding 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. The Department of Homeland Security said the following day that Castro had been ambushed and beaten with a snow shovel and broom handle by Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Aljorna and a third man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, and fired a defensive shot fearing for his life; federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with assaulting Castro. Sosa-Celis and Aljorna told investigators they had not attacked Castro, and habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of their partners disputed DHS's account. On February 12, 2026, federal prosecutors dismissed the charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with prejudice, citing newly discovered evidence materially inconsistent with the allegations; the next day, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said a joint ICE-DOJ review of video evidence indicated two officers' sworn testimony appeared untruthful, and placed them on administrative leave. In May 2026, Hennepin County prosecutors charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, alleging he was not attacked and fired at Sosa-Celis and Aljorna after they had already gone inside the home, where children were present. In September 2026, following a monthslong dispute over his extradition from Texas, federal prosecutors separately indicted Castro on six counts of making materially false statements to the FBI about the shooting. Castro has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges; the state charges and the underlying dispute over whether his use of force was justified remain unresolved.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Politico's report quoting Lyons's statement announcing that two officers were placed on administrative leave. It reports that the announcement came a day after federal prosecutors dropped the criminal cases against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, and links a court filing in which prosecutors say "newly discovered evidence" contradicts the officers' account. A later ProPublica investigation paraphrases the same Feb. 13 statement with different wording ("Video evidence has revealed the sworn testimony of the two agents appeared to be false"); this record treats Politico's block-quoted text, filed the same day as the statement, as the more reliable rendering of Lyons's exact words.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
ProPublica's investigation reporting that Justice Department leadership in Washington overruled the Minnesota-based prosecutor who wanted to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law (the charge brought against Derek Chauvin) and directed a false-statements charge instead, based on an email reviewed by ProPublica. It also reports that the shooting was one of three by immigration agents in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, the other two fatal, and that Castro was held roughly 90 days in a Texas jail during the extradition dispute.
Before the quotation
On February 12, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office moved to dismiss the charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with prejudice, telling the court that newly discovered evidence was materially inconsistent with the allegations against them.
After the quotation
Lyons's statement did not name Castro or the other officer. Minnesota state prosecutors charged Castro in May 2026; federal prosecutors indicted him on false-statement charges in September 2026.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Lyons does not say the shooting itself was unjustified; he withdraws the department's reliance on the sworn account that had justified it, by saying video evidence indicates that account appears untruthful. That directly disputes the factual characterization DHS and Noem gave on January 15 without itself condemning Castro's conduct, so “Challenged the characterization” fits better than condemns. It supersedes DHS's January 15 institutional defense because it is the department's own reversal of the account that defense relied on.
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- Christian Castro
More from this case
Read the full caseAmnesty condemns the shooting
Amnesty International
“unlawful use of lethal force”Read statement
Justice Department says indictment challenges Castro's account of the shooting
United States Department of Justice
“Castro was indicted on six counts of knowingly and willfully making materially false statements to the FBI during the interview on or about Jan. 14.”Read statement
ACLU of Minnesota calls the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis a shocking attack
ACLU of Minnesota
“According to criminal charges later filed against Castro by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Castro fired through the closed front door while standing in the front yard and under no physical threat. The bullet struck Sosa-Celis before entering the wall of a child’s bedroom. This shocking attack occurred at the height of Operation Metro Surge, during which federal agents committed some of the most flagrant constitutional violations we have witnessed in the United States since the civil rights era.”Read statement
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- Lyons says video evidence indicates two officers’ sworn testimony “appears to have made untruthful statements”
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The Dispute Index. "Lyons says video evidence indicates two officers’ sworn testimony “appears to have made untruthful statements”". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1401-a-day-after-federal-prosecutors-dropped-the-charges