In a recent incident in Minneapolis, three individuals without legal immigration status have been charged with attempted murder following an aggressive altercation with federal agents. This unsettling event unfolded when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) apprehended Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis on Wednesday during a strategic traffic stop that escalated unexpectedly.

According to reports from the DHS, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to stop Sosa-Celis. However, instead of complying, he allegedly accelerated his vehicle, subsequently colliding with a parked car, and then attempted to escape on foot.

A chase ensued, leading to further complications. As agents closed in to arrest him, Sosa-Celis is reported to have resisted forcefully, resulting in a physical confrontation that took him and an officer to the ground. The Trump administration detailed these developments as part of their statement on the incident.

During this chaotic scene, two other individuals, identified as Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledzema, allegedly emerged from a nearby apartment. They are accused of joining the fray, attacking the federal agent with a snow shovel and a broom handle, intensifying the situation.

That’s when Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledzema allegedly came out of a nearby apartment and began to attack the agent with a snow shovel and broom handle.

Sosa-Celis managed to escape while the other suspects carried out their attack. He then picked up the shovel or broom and started to strike the officer.

The agent, who DHS said had feared for his life, fired a ‘defensive shot’ at Sosa-Celis, striking him in the leg.

The three suspects, all Venezuelan nationals who entered the US under the Biden administration, ran back inside and barricaded themselves in the apartment. They were later arrested by ICE officials.

Venezuelan nationals Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledzema (left to right) have been charged with attempted murder after they allegedly assaulted federal agents in Minneapolis with a shovel and broom handle

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of an ICE officer-involved shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday

Sosa-Celis and the agent were treated at a nearby hospital for their injuries. 

Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said the suspect did not have a life-threatening injury. The nature of the officer’s injuries remain unknown.

DHS did note that all three suspects were arrested and remain in ICE custody, implying that Sosa-Celis may have been released from the hospital.

Sosa-Celis entered the US illegally in 2022. He was previously arrested for driving without a license and two counts of giving a false name to a peace officer.

But DHS alleged that he was ‘released by Minnesota authorities before ICE could even lodge a detainer.’

Ajorna and Hernandez-Ledezma both entered the country illegally in May 2023.

A final order of removal was issued for Ajorna after he failed to show up for his immigration hearing, officials said. It is unclear when the order was issued.

Trump’s DHS also accused the Biden administration of having designated Hernandez-Ledezma as a ‘non-enforcement priority.’ 

Federal agents launch tear gas at residents protesting an ICE agent involved shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Wednesday night

Federal agents guard a perimeter following the shooting of Sosa-Celis (not pictured). The Venezuelan national was struck in the leg and did not sustain life-threatening injuries

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has condemned the trio’s alleged attack on ICE and urged Minnesota lawmakers to ‘get their city under control.’

‘What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement. Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms,’ Noem said.

‘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.’

Noem’s criticisms come as President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his massive immigration crackdown.

The threat appeared come as a direct response to the incident involving Sosa-Celis, Ajorna and Hernandez-Ledezma. 

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to deploy the US military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.

‘If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,’ he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has condemned the trio’s alleged attack on ICE and urged Minnesota lawmakers to ‘get their city under control’

A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis

Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.

‘I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,’ Gov. Tim Walz said on X. 

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also responded that he would challenge Trump evoking the law in court. 

Ellison is already suing to try to stop the surge by DHS, which says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December.

Wednesday’s officer-involved shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across Minneapolis since ICE agent Jonathan ‘Jon’ Ross fatally shot Renee Good in the head on January 7.

Good was killed after three ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a snowy street near her home. Bystander video shows that Ross, standing in front, raises his gun and fires at least three shots at close range as the vehicle begins to move forward. He steps back as the Honda Pilot advances and turns.

Noem has said Ross was struck by the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon – a self-defense claim that has been criticized by Minnesota officials.

Renee Nicole Good was shot dead on January 7 after refusing ICE orders to get our of her car 

Good was shot three times in the face at a protest in Minneapolis and died at the scene

ICE agent Jonathan ‘Jon’ Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week

Meanwhile, smoke filled the downtown streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.

Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on January 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.

‘This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,’ Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.