Evidence undercuts DHS narratives in Twin Cities ICE shootings; DOJ drops north Minneapolis assault case
Videos, documents and court findings have undercut DHS accounts of multiple Twin Cities enforcement actions—synchronized surveillance and bystander footage contradict DHS’s description of a Minneapolis shooting, a purported St. Paul warrant lacked standard court indicia and a judge ordered detainees freed after DHS failed to justify the raid, and local reporting says an immigrant suffered skull fractures after an allegedly unprovoked ICE arrest. Separately, the DOJ moved to dismiss with prejudice federal assault charges in the Jan. 14 north Minneapolis shooting, citing newly discovered evidence materially inconsistent with the ICE affidavit, while immigrant communities report widespread fear and severe economic harm from the Operation Metro Surge.
📌 Key Facts
- Operation Metro Surge: roughly eight weeks of intensified immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities, including the Renee Good killing, a second Minneapolis ICE shooting, battering‑ram raids, and operations at the airport, child‑care sites and restaurants.
- Widespread legal pushback: hundreds of immigrant habeas petitions have been filed in Minnesota federal court, with a large majority resulting in releases or bond hearings and some rulings finding ICE tactics unconstitutional.
- Political escalation: the enforcement campaign prompted major political fallout — House Democrats’ impeachment effort targeting DHS leadership, DOJ grand‑jury subpoenas to state and local officials (including Walz, Ellison, Frey, Her and Moriarty), and public threats to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis.
- Community and business impact: immigrant neighborhoods have seen severe revenue losses (e.g., Sabores De Mexico reported business down 55–60% and closed its taquería side because staff feared encountering ICE); multiple school districts moved to opt‑in online learning, students staged walkouts, and large 'ICE Out of MN' strike actions disrupted business corridors.
- Video and documents undercut DHS narratives: synchronized surveillance and bystander videos of the Hawthorne/second Minneapolis ICE shooting show a Venezuelan man running, stumbling and trying to get up when shot in the leg, with no footage showing him pointing a gun at officers as DHS initially implied.
- St. Paul East Side raid warrant defects and court order: neighbors said agents did not produce a warrant at the door; a later 'warrant' lacked a case number, file stamp and probable‑cause narrative and did not match state formats. A federal judge ordered DHS to produce a valid warrant or free six detained Venezuelan family members; DHS failed to do so and the court ordered their release within 72 hours.
- Allegations of excessive force in south Minneapolis: an immigrant alleges ICE/HSI agents broke his skull in eight places after he complied with commands; medical records and witnesses corroborate portions of his account, and his attorney is preparing civil‑rights litigation and flagging the case to habeas judges.
- DOJ drops north Minneapolis assault charges: DOJ moved to dismiss with prejudice all federal assault‑on‑an‑officer charges against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celi from the Jan. 14 north Minneapolis shooting, citing 'newly discovered evidence' materially inconsistent with the ICE complaint affidavit; defense attorneys say the men were running away when Sosa‑Celis was shot and praised prosecutors for seeking dismissal.
📊 Relevant Data
Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born Americans, with studies showing lower incarceration rates for both legal and illegal immigrants compared to natives from 2010 to 2023.
Immigrants less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born — NPR
Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Peru, and Chile commit crimes at lower rates than the native populations, with data from 2020 showing Venezuelan involvement in crime below their population share in these countries.
Venezuelan Migration, Crime, and Misperceptions — Brookings Institution
In 2025, 32 people died in ICE custody, marking the deadliest year for the agency in more than two decades, amid ramped-up immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
2025 was ICE's deadliest year in two decades. Here are the 32 people who died in its custody — The Guardian
Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy, with Somali Minnesotans contributing $8 billion, highlighting significant economic impact from immigrant communities.
Economist: Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy — MPR News
Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota generate $2.2 billion in annual household income and have a spending power of $1.7 billion.
The Role of Undocumented Immigrants in Minnesota's Economy — Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Venezuela's crisis, driven by hyperinflation, corruption, economic mismanagement, and heavy dependence on oil revenues, has caused prolonged economic and political instability leading to mass migration.
Venezuela crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help — World Vision
The Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States grew 318% from 2010 to 2023, with most arrivals in recent years due to economic and political crises.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- DOJ has formally moved in U.S. District Court to dismiss with prejudice all federal assault-on-an-officer charges against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celi from the Jan. 14 north Minneapolis ICE shooting.
- The motion cites 'newly discovered evidence' that is 'materially inconsistent' with the ICE complaint affidavit filed Jan. 16, 2026.
- Defense attorney Fred Goetz says DOJ recognized the evidence 'was completely different than what the agent claimed' and praises prosecutors for exhibiting 'integrity and professionalism' in seeking dismissal.
- FOX 9 reiterates defense contention that Aljorna and Sosa-Celis were running away, not attacking, when Sosa-Celis was shot.
- A Minneapolis immigrant says ICE/HSI agents broke his skull in eight places during an arrest in south Minneapolis, and he alleges the beating was completely unprovoked.
- The victim describes being taken down and struck repeatedly in the head after complying with commands, contradicting ICE’s claim that he violently resisted; medical records cited show multiple skull fractures and a long hospitalization.
- Witnesses interviewed by the paper back portions of the victim’s account, saying they did not see him attack officers before the beating, and his attorney is preparing civil-rights litigation while flagging the case to federal judges hearing Metro Surge habeas petitions.
- For the second Minneapolis ICE shooting in Hawthorne, synchronized surveillance and bystander videos show the Venezuelan man running, stumbling and trying to get up with agents closing in, and do not show him pointing a gun at officers at the moment he’s shot in the leg—contrary to the implication in DHS’s initial statements.
- In the high‑profile St. Paul East Side raid on Nevada Avenue E, neighbors and a family friend say agents never produced a warrant at the door; when a 'warrant' later appeared on the doorstep, Ramsey County court officials and document comparisons showed it had no case number, no file stamp, and no probable‑cause narrative and did not match standard state‑court formats.
- A federal judge ordered DHS to either produce a valid warrant justifying the St. Paul raid or release all six detained Venezuelan family members; DHS failed to do so by the deadline and the court ordered all six freed within 72 hours, undercutting DHS’s later claim that it had a proper search warrant.
- In both incidents, DHS either declined to explain key discrepancies (such as the suspect’s posture when shot, or the warrant’s defects) or has not responded to detailed questions from local reporters, while independent document analysis and video timelines expose significant gaps between DHS talking points and what actually appears to have happened on the ground.
- Provides a chronological, sourced narrative of roughly eight weeks of Operation Metro Surge, knitting together separate incidents we’ve tracked (Renee Good killing, second ICE shooting, battering‑ram raids, airport/child‑care/restaurant hits) into one timeline.
- Documents scale and outcomes of immigrant habeas petitions in Minnesota federal court (hundreds filed, large majority resulting in release or bond hearings), and highlights specific rulings finding ICE tactics unconstitutional.
- Details the political escalation: House Democrats’ impeachment bid against DHS Sec. Kristi Noem, DOJ grand‑jury subpoenas to Walz, Ellison, Frey, Her and Moriarty, and threats from Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis.
- Adds texture on school and community responses: multiple districts shifting to opt‑in online learning, student walkouts to the Capitol, and general‑strike calls ('ICE Out of MN') shutting down large swaths of immigrant business corridors.
- Synthesizes business‑community reaction, noting both severe revenue hits in immigrant neighborhoods and conspicuous silence from major metro employers that depend on immigrant labor and customers.
- Identifies Sabores De Mexico, an Iranian-owned market and taquería in south Minneapolis, reporting business down 55–60% in recent weeks due to customers’ fear of leaving home during Operation Metro Surge.
- Reports the owner has closed the taquería side of the business because some staff, despite having legal papers, are too afraid of encountering ICE on the way to work.
- Adds an Iran angle: the owner, a U.S. citizen originally from Iran, says he cannot reach his brother and sister in Iran amid the current crackdown there and fears for their safety, linking local ICE fear with repression abroad.
- Quotes the owner comparing the current climate to 'living in North Korea' and explicitly saying he 'cannot wait' for ICE to leave Minnesota so his community can stop looking over their shoulders.