DHS identifies three Venezuelan men arrested for attacking Minneapolis ICE agent

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Officials on Thursday, January 15, revealed that the three men arrested for allegedly ambushing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis are undocumented immigrants from Venezuela. 

The ambush happened on Wednesday and came at a time when anti-ICE protesters have been flooding the streets of Minneapolis.

The demonstrations were sparked by the death of Renee Nicole Good on January 7. Good, an American citizen, was shot dead by an ICE agent during a confrontation.  

DHS identifies three men involved in ambush

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified three men involved in Wednesday's altercation with an ICE agent in Minneapolis as Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna, and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez‑Ledezma.

All had entered the US illegally during former President Joe Biden's term and are now in ICE custody.

A statement by DHS posted on X (formerly Twitter) explained that the affected ICE agent was part of a group of officers conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis to nab undocumented immigrants from Venezuela.

Sosa-Celis allegedly tried to flee the scene, and the ICE agent attempted to apprehend him.

"While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle,” the statement said.

"Federal law enforcement officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest criminals and lawbreakers," it mentioned.

DHS called for an end to "hateful rhetoric and resistance against men and women who are simply trying to do their jobs." 

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, "What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement." 

She warned Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz 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," Noem said.

The men entered the US during Biden's term

DHS' X page emphasized, "All three of the illegal aliens involved in last night's violent attack on law enforcement were let into our country by the Biden administration."

The department said that Sosa‑Celis illegally entered the US in 2022. He had previously been arrested twice for giving a false name to a peace officer and once for driving without a license. The DHS confirmed that Minnesota authorities released him before ICE could place a detainer.

Ajorna reportedly entered the US illegally in May 2023 and failed to appear at his immigration hearing, leading an immigration judge to issue a final order of removal.

Hernandez‑Ledezma also reportedly entered the US illegally in May 2023 and, according to DHS, the Biden administration designated him as a “non‑enforcement priority.” 

Authorities have not yet reported what charges the three men will face for attacking an ICE agent.