An ICE agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan man through an apartment door and then lying about what happened has been charged in Minneapolis, eight months after the incident became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Christian Castro was charged on Thursday after being taken into custody Wednesday by agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and booked into the Hennepin County jail on an outstanding arrest warrant.
Castro faces state assault and false reporting charges stemming from the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was wounded in the leg while children were inside the home.
Prosecutors allege Castro falsely told Department of Homeland Security officials that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom before he opened fire. Authorities say video evidence contradicted that account.
Castro has also been federally charged with lying to investigators about the shooting, making him the first federal law enforcement officer prosecuted by the Justice Department over alleged wrongdoing connected to Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s massive immigration enforcement deployment in Minneapolis.
Castro remained jailed without bond in Hennepin County on Thursday awaiting an afternoon hearing in a state court.
His attorney Daniel Gerdts said Castro had agreed to drive from Texas to Minneapolis and surrender at his lawyer’s office Wednesday, but authorities arrested him minutes before he arrived.
Castro is also scheduled to appear Friday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on the separate federal case in which he is charged with making false statements to investigators regarding the same shooting.
Another attorney, Rolando Cantu, said Castro always intended to face the Minnesota charges and disputed prosecutors’ claims that he might flee to Mexico.
“He wants his day in court,” Cantu said. His defense attorneys in the federal case have said he plans to plead not guilty.
The shooting occurred during Operation Metro Surge, which sparked weeks of protests and confrontations between federal immigration officers and demonstrators. Two US citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during the operation.
After the January shooting, Castro returned to his home state of Texas, prompting Minnesota authorities to seek his extradition.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to sign extradition papers sent by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, questioning whether Castro could legally be considered a fugitive because DHS had reassigned him to Texas.
Castro spent 90 days in a Texas county jail before being released Aug. 27 after a federal judge rejected Minnesota’s request to immediately compel his extradition. He was arrested again following his federal indictment in early September.
DHS has suspended Castro from ICE, and a civil rights investigation into the shooting has also been opened.
Castro was expected to make his first appearance on the Minnesota charges Thursday before appearing in federal court in St. Paul on Friday.
“Governor Abbott’s attempt to shield Mr. Castro from accountability has failed,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “We look forward to commencing our prosecution.”
