Federal judge demands ICE release two men. But the agency ignores the court order, grabs them before they leave the building

We’ve got a truly wild and concerning story unfolding in Minnesota, where a federal judge’s authority seems to have been completely ignored by federal immigration agents. Two Venezuelan nationals, who were ordered released by a federal judge, were immediately re-arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents right there inside the courthouse before they could even walk out the door.

This whole situation involves 26-year-old Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. After a hearing on Tuesday, a judge decided that the men didn’t present a heightened flight risk, which meant they should be released under court-ordered conditions. However, the agents didn’t wait around. The men were taken back into custody almost instantly after the release order was issued, never actually leaving the federal building, as reported by Fox.

Frankly, this is a blatant disregard for a judicial order. The attorneys representing the men said that ICE detained their clients “without explanation.” This prompted the attorneys to file an emergency habeas corpus petition late on Tuesday, arguing that the agents’ actions were illegal. It’s not surprising why they keep being called the Gestapo.

When will ICE be held accountable to judicial orders?

Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz then stepped in again and wasn’t happy about the situation. He immediately barred ICE from taking the men outside of the state of Minnesota and ordered the federal government to explain its actions by Friday. This is a massive legal showdown, pitting judicial authority directly against the power of a federal enforcement agency.

Attorney Brian Clark didn’t mince words in the emergency petition, stating that the re-detention is “unconstitutional” and demanding that the men be “immediately released.” When you have federal agents ignoring a judge’s ruling and then being told they can’t move the detainees, you know things are serious. They ignore the Constitution often, thankfully someone is doing something about it.

The men were originally taken into custody following a chaotic and violent incident that took place on January 14 in north Minneapolis. Federal officers were conducting an enforcement operation and attempted a targeted traffic stop to arrest Sosa-Celis. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Sosa-Celis allegedly fled the scene in his vehicle, crashed into a parked car, and then ran away on foot.

When the pursuing officer caught up with Sosa-Celis and tried to take him into custody, the situation quickly devolved. Sosa-Celis reportedly resisted and violently assaulted the officer. Things got much worse when two other individuals, including Ajorna, allegedly emerged from a nearby apartment and began striking the federal officer with a snow shovel and the handle of a broom.

DHS claims that Sosa-Celis eventually broke free and also struck the officer. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot, which struck Sosa-Celis in the leg. Despite being wounded, Sosa-Celis and the other men retreated into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside. ICE agents ultimately arrested all three men. Both the officer and Sosa-Celis were hospitalized following the confrontation.

The federal agency described the incident in the strongest possible terms, labeling it an “attempted murder of federal law enforcement,” emphasizing that the officer was ambushed and attacked with weapons.

However, the defense attorneys have raised serious questions about the official narrative of the incident itself. They told the court that photographic evidence and witness statements suggest the timing and circumstances of the shooting are suspect. They claim evidence suggests the shot may have been fired after the suspects had already gone inside a residence.

There’s also some confusion surrounding a third man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, whom DHS publicly identified as a suspect in the assault. Reports indicate that the federal affidavit in the case doesn’t mention him at all, and he hasn’t actually been charged with any federal crime. Despite this, he is reportedly being held at a federal detention facility down in Texas.