Lyons says video evidence indicates two officers’ sworn testimony “appears to have made untruthful statements”
Federal immigration-enforcement agency, in a statement announced by Acting Director Todd Lyons
“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.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Politico's report, read in full on 2026-09-22, 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, read in full on 2026-09-22, 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
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.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case’s fixed reference point is whether Officer Christian Castro’s decision to fire his weapon during the January 14, 2026 encounter with Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was justified. 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 challenges_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
Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?
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Read the full case“Nobody is above the law, including ICE agents. The State of Minnesota must hold people accountable for violating the law and for harming Minnesotans. I support the filing of these charges, and I am working closely with Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty to ensure we reach a just outcome here.”Read statement
“A violent crime did occur that night, but it was Mr. Castro who committed it. He shot through the door of a home with many people, including children, inside, while fortunately missing several others. Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota.”Read statement
Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma
“Gabriel's life has been turned upside down by ICE's actions in Minnesota. The district court order finding his detention unlawful and ordering his release, along with the decision to dismiss charges against his neighbors, vindicates the unjustness of his arrest, detention, and the deliberate smearing of his name and broadcasting of his photo along with unfounded allegations, but it doesn't give him back the weeks he spent in detention. We look forward to further investigation into this matter and hope that those responsible face consequences.”Read statement