ICE agent arrested in shooting of immigrant in Minnesota - USA Today
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent wanted on assault charges in the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis has been arrested in Minnesota.
Christian Castro, 52, was taken into custody on Sept. 16 by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in connection with the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Sosa-Celis.
Online records show Castro was booked into the Hennepin County jail an outstanding warrant. He faces charges including felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor, the records show.
Under an agreement with state law enforcement, Castro intended to turn himself in to Minnesota authorities at his attorney's office but ended up being arrested shortly before he was due to arrive, his lawyer Daniel Gerdts told Reuters.
Rolando Cantu, another lawyer representing Castro, said his client intended to answer to the charges and disputed Hennepin County prosecutors' assertions he might flee to Mexico, saying, "He wants his day in court."
The shooting of Sosa-Celis came during the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge, a large immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis region.
Castro is accused of shooting Sosa-Celis while ICE agents were chasing another man. Minnesota prosecutors say Castro fired through the front door of a home, striking Sosa-Celis while six people, including two children, were inside. Sosa-Celis was treated at a hospital and later discharged.
Prosecutors also accused Castro of making false statements to law enforcement. A DHS news release a day after the shooting said people “violently assaulted” ICE officers with a shovel and broom handle to evade arrest. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty previously said that Castro was not hit with weapons of any kind.
“A violent crime did occur that night, but it was Mr. Castro who committed it,” Moriarty said.
In February, former acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said "sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements" regarding the shooting of Sosa-Celis.
Prior to his arrest Sept 17, Castro spent three months in a Texas jail awaiting extradition on the state-level assault charge from Hennepin County. He was released from jail in late August after a judge declined to order his return to Minnesota.
At the time, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to extradite Castro to Minnesota, prompting a legal fight between the two states.
"Gov. Abbott’s attempt to shield Mr. Castro from accountability has failed. We look forward to commencing our prosecution," Moriarty wrote in a statement posted on X on Sept. 16.
In addition to the state charges in Minnesota, Castro was indicted Sept. 2 by a federal grand jury on six counts of making false statements.
Castro was expected to appear in state court to face the charges on Sept. 17, and was due in U.S. District Court on Sept. 18 to face federal charges.
The federal indictment charging Castro with making false statements marked the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer accused of wrongdoing connected to Operation Metro Surge. The Department of Homeland Security has suspended Castro pending the outcome of the case.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
