Hernandez-Ledezma’s attorney says the dismissal of charges against his neighbors “vindicates the unjustness of his arrest, detention”
Named by DHS as one of three men present during the January 14 encounter; he held Temporary Protected Status and had no pending immigration-court matters. Statement issued through his legal representative.
“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.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Sahan Journal's report, read in full on 2026-09-22, on the dismissal of charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna and its aftermath. It reports that a district court found Hernandez-Ledezma's own immigration detention unlawful and ordered his release, and quotes his attorney's statement; it also quotes Sosa-Celis's attorney Robin Wolpert calling the case "a grave injustice" and "a 180-degree turn." A BCA declaration described Hernandez-Ledezma as one of three key witnesses to the shooting whom state investigators had been unable to interview because he was in immigration detention.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
DHS's January 15 release had named Hernandez-Ledezma, along with Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, as one of the three men who attacked Castro. A Bureau of Criminal Apprehension declaration filed in his habeas case described him as one of three key witnesses to the shooting whom state investigators had been unable to interview because he was in immigration detention.
After the quotation
Sahan Journal reports that agents forcibly broke down the door of Hernandez-Ledezma's separate unit of the duplex while arresting people in the unit upstairs, and that he had Temporary Protected Status and no pending immigration-court issues. Unlike Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, he does not appear in the later state or federal charging documents against Castro; his own immigration status regarding the January 14 encounter beyond the habeas ruling is not addressed in the sources reviewed for this record.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to ICE's conduct toward Hernandez-Ledezma during and after the January 14 encounter, his attorney's statement condemns his detention as unlawful and unjust and calls for accountability. It is recorded on this case because Hernandez-Ledezma was one of the three men DHS's original account named as attacking Castro, and the statement responds directly to that dismissal and to his own detention arising from the same encounter; it targets ICE's broader conduct rather than Castro's shooting specifically.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
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
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
“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.”Read statement