ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man in Minnesota

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is facing federal charges for allegedly lying to investigators about his role in the January shooting of a Venezuelan man during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota — a case that’s igniting fresh debate over accountability within the agency.

What happened during the January operation

The shooting occurred on January 22 in the Minneapolis area, when a team of ICE officers attempted to apprehend a 40-year-old Venezuelan national. According to court documents filed this week in federal court in Minnesota, the officer — whose name has been withheld pending formal arraignment — discharged his firearm and struck the man at least once. The victim survived but sustained serious injuries requiring hospitalization.

The Venezuelan man was not armed at the time of the incident.

The charges and what prosecutors allege

Federal prosecutors allege the officer made materially false statements to investigators from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General during a post-incident review. Specifically, he allegedly misrepresented the sequence of events leading up to the shooting, including whether the victim had made any threatening movements toward officers.

The charge — making false statements to federal investigators — carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. It’s a felony count, and prosecutors say the lies were deliberate and designed to obscure what actually happened in the moments before the gun was fired.

But the shooting charge itself is notably absent from the current indictment. So far, the officer hasn’t been charged with any crime related to the act of pulling the trigger.

Agency response and outside reaction

ICE released a brief statement saying it “holds its workforce to the highest standards of conduct and cooperates fully with all oversight investigations.” The agency didn’t address whether additional charges are under consideration or whether the officer remains on active duty.

That’s a question immigration advocates and civil liberties attorneys say needs an urgent answer.

“When an officer can shoot an unarmed man and the only charge is lying about it afterward, that tells you everything about the accountability gap,” said a spokesperson for a Minneapolis-based immigrant rights organization that has been in contact with the victim’s family. “This family deserves the full truth.”

Broader context: ICE operations under scrutiny

The January operation in Minnesota was part of a wider enforcement surge that the administration launched in the first weeks of the year, targeting immigrants with prior deportation orders. ICE conducted more than 1,200 arrests nationwide during that two-week period alone.

Still, use-of-force incidents during those operations have rarely resulted in criminal referrals, making this case unusual. Legal observers say it could set a precedent — or quietly disappear.

A preliminary hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next 30 days. The officer’s attorney hasn’t publicly commented on the charges.