• Two ICE agents are under investigation for potentially lying about a January shooting incident.
• All charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men involved in the incident due to untruthful statements by the agents.
• DHS stated that lying under oath is a serious federal offense that will not be tolerated.
• The agents involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
• Eyewitness accounts contradicted the initial claims made by the ICE officers, raising questions about their credibility.

Two federal immigration agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are currently under investigation for providing potentially false testimony regarding a shooting incident that occurred on January 14 in Minneapolis. The investigation is being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Justice Department after video evidence indicated that the statements made by the agents about the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant appeared to be untruthful, as per a spokesperson for DHS, Tricia McLaughlin. "Lying under oath is a serious federal offense," stated ICE acting director Todd Lyons, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations against these officers, who have since been placed on administrative leave pending the inquiry, according to BBC and NPR.

The shooting involved Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg after an encounter with ICE agents following a purported traffic stop. Charges of felony assault were dropped against both Sosa-Celis and another involved party, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, due to newly discovered evidence that contradicted the agents' claims. McLaughlin stated that the continued investigation could lead to termination or criminal charges for the involved officers if violations are substantiated. "The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct," she reiterated, according to Le Monde and BBC.

The officers' claims of being ambushed during the incident have faced significant scrutiny, particularly with eyewitness accounts suggesting that the officers' narratives may not hold up. Sosa-Celis's partner, Indriany Mendoza Camacho, provided a witness statement claiming he was attempting to defuse a situation rather than attacking the officers. This greatly contrasts the narrative put forward by the agents that they were attacked with a shovel and broom handle, a claim that has yet to be corroborated by the available video evidence, according to NPR and Le Monde.

The investigation into the officers' conduct comes in the wake of increasing calls for accountability in the usage of force by immigration agents, especially following multiple incidents where officer accounts have been challenged by video footage and eyewitnesses. The case's developments may influence broader discussions surrounding immigration enforcement practices during the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge," which sought to increase immigration arrests, thereby raising concerns about the integrity of actions taken by federal agents, as reported by BBC and NPR.