ICE Agent Charged in Minneapolis Shooting Apprehended in Texas
A federal ICE officer charged with shooting a Venezuelan man during Operation Metro Surge has been arrested in Texas, 11 days after Minneapolis prosecutors filed charges.
ICE Agent Arrested in Texas Over Minneapolis Shooting During Federal Immigration Crackdown
Christian Castro, a 52-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer wanted for shooting a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's Minnesota immigration crackdown, was taken into custody in Texas on Friday, ABC News US reports.
Castro was arrested 11 days after Hennepin County prosecutors charged him with assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located Castro in Texas and coordinated with agents from the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General's Office and the Texas Rangers to make the arrest, Hennepin County prosecutors said.
"Today's arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.
Online court records do not list an attorney for Castro, and it was not immediately clear whether he has legal representation. Messages seeking comment were left with ICE, the DHS Inspector General's Office, and the Texas Rangers.
Second Agent Charged Over Operation Metro Surge
Castro is the second federal agent to face charges stemming from conduct during Operation Metro Surge, the name given to the Trump administration's sweeping enforcement campaign in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. ICE Director Todd Lyons previously stated that Castro and one other agent had lied about the circumstances of the incident.
Prosecutors allege that Castro fired through the front door of a home and struck Sosa-Celis in the thigh. The shooting occurred after Castro and another officer chased Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna — a different man — to the Minneapolis apartment duplex where Aljorna and Sosa-Celis both lived. Moriarty said both men were legally present in the United States.
Federal authorities had initially accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of assaulting an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. A federal judge later dismissed those charges, prompting ICE and the Justice Department to open an investigation into whether officers had misrepresented what happened.
In a statement following the announcement of charges, ICE described the Hennepin County attorney's action as "unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt," while also acknowledging that the U.S. attorney's office was examining statements made by officers who could face disciplinary action, including termination and prosecution. The DHS Inspector General's Office — which Moriarty credited with helping secure the arrest — operates independently from ICE and functions as a watchdog over DHS agencies.
Security Footage Released
Minneapolis last month released security camera footage capturing the moments before Sosa-Celis was shot. The video, recorded at a distance by a city-owned camera, appears to show a person standing near the street with a snow shovel, then moving toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard. A second person being chased runs up from the street, falls on the sidewalk, gets up, and continues toward the house. The three individuals appear to scuffle near the front steps for roughly 10 seconds. The exact moment of the shooting is not clearly visible in the footage.
Broader Tensions Over Federal Conduct
The Trump administration deployed thousands of officers to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area as part of President Donald Trump's national deportation campaign and characterized Operation Metro Surge as a success. Tensions escalated throughout the weeks-long operation, however, after federal officers fatally shot U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, triggering widespread unrest and scrutiny of officer conduct.
Minnesota state leaders and the Trump administration have clashed over jurisdictional authority to investigate and prosecute federal officers for actions taken while on duty.
Castro's case is not the only active prosecution tied to the crackdown. Moriarty's office last month charged immigration agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. with assault for allegedly pointing his weapon at occupants of a vehicle on a highway. Morgan turned himself in last week; his attorney disputes the charges.
Hennepin County has also sued the Trump administration to gain access to evidence related to the killings of Good and Pretti, as well as the Sosa-Celis shooting.
Source: ABC News US