Video recently obtained by The New York Times directly “contradicts” the Trump administration’s past claim accusing an immigrant of attempted murder, and may ultimately become critical evidence in potential criminal charges against two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the outlet reported Monday.
In January, Venezuelan immigrant Julio C. Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg in Minneapolis, Minnesota by an ICE agent, who later accused the immigrant of beating him with a shovel and broom for three minutes. Sosa-Celis was later accused by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of "trying to kill the agent.”
However, video from a city-owned camera recently obtained and reviewed by the Times severely undercut the agent’s claim, and to such an extent that a top Trump official said the agent – along with their colleague who also leveled accusations against Sosa-Celis – may end up facing criminal charges.
“The agency’s acting director, Todd Lyons, said after the charges were dropped that two agents had appeared to have lied under oath about the events, adding that they had been placed on leave and could end up facing criminal charges,” the Times report reads.
Furthermore, the Times learned that the Trump administration “had access” to the video it had obtained “within hours of the shooting,” but that prosecutors “did not watch the footage,” according to an official who spoke with the Times on the condition of anonymity, “until nearly three weeks after they filed charges.”
“Bare due diligence would have shown that the agents were lying,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a recent interview, the Times reported.
