ICE Officer Christian Castro Arrested in Minneapolis Over January Shooting
ICE officer Christian Castro faces state and federal charges after shooting a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis in January and allegedly lying to investigators about the incident.
ICE Officer Arrested in Minneapolis on State Charges Over January Shooting
A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was taken into custody Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis on an outstanding state warrant, according to ABC News US. Christian Castro, an ICE officer, faces both state and federal charges stemming from his shooting of Julio Ceasar Sosa-Celis, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man, during a federal immigration operation in the Minneapolis area this past January.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced the arrest via social media, stating Castro was apprehended on charges of assault and false reporting of a crime. Castro appeared in Hennepin County court Thursday afternoon, where he was held without bond.
Prosecutors in both cases allege that Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg, firing through the front door of a Minneapolis home. They further allege that Castro subsequently gave investigators a false account, claiming he had been attacked with a broom handle and a snow shovel before opening fire.
Castro is additionally scheduled to appear Friday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on a separate federal charge of making false statements to investigators — relating to the same shooting. His defense attorneys in the federal case have indicated he intends to plead not guilty. Daniel Gerdts, listed as Castro's attorney in the state case, had not responded to requests for comment as of Thursday.
The arrest follows a prolonged jurisdictional dispute between Minnesota authorities and the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security has characterized Minnesota's prosecution of Castro as "unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt," arguing that only federal authorities hold jurisdiction over the case. Minnesota had charged Castro months before his federal indictment.
Castro was first arrested in Texas in May on the Minnesota charges, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declined last month to sign an extradition warrant to transfer him to Minnesota. He was subsequently released in Texas, and shortly thereafter a federal grand jury indicted him. Castro then turned himself in to federal authorities and returned to Minnesota voluntarily.
The case represents the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer for conduct carried out during Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement campaign that deployed thousands of agents to the Twin Cities region earlier this year. The operation prompted widespread protests and arrests, and resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers.
Source: ABC News US