The three men arrested in connection with the ambush of an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday have been identified as Venezuelan nationals who had entered the United States illegally under the Biden administration, officials said Thursday, describing the incident as an "attempted murder" of a federal law enforcement officer.
The Department of Homeland Security said that the three men — Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledzema — were all in the United States illegally and are now being held in ICE custody. "What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement," a furious Kristi Noem, DHS Secretary, said in a statement.
Illegals and Criminals in the US
"Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot," Noem continued in her statement.
"Mayor [Jacob] Frey and Governor [Tim] Walz have to get their city under control. They are encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony. This is putting the people of Minnesota in harm's way," she added.
Protests have shaken Minneapolis since the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent after crashing her car into him while trying to avoid arrest.
In the most recent incident, officials say Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg after he violently attacked an ICE agent with what was described as a "shovel or broomstick." As two other men rushed out of a nearby apartment and joined in the assault using a snow shovel and the handle of a broom, the agent fired a defensive shot.
The three men then ran back inside the building, barricaded themselves, and were later arrested.
Complete Chaos in Minneapolis
ICE agents were conducting a traffic stop when Sosa-Celis crashed his vehicle into a parked car and then fled on foot. Sosa-Celis first entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had past run-ins with the law, including charges for driving without a license and giving peace officers a false name, but was "released by Minnesota authorities before ICE could even lodge a detainer, DHS said.
Ajorna was taken into custody after entering the U.S. illegally in May 2023 and had been issued a final removal order by an immigration judge after failing to appear for his hearing.
Hernandez‑Ledezma, who also crossed into the U.S. in May 2023, was reportedly designated by the Biden administration as a "non-enforcement priority," according to DHS.
