ICE agent re-arrested after indictment over Minnesota shooting statements

ICE agent Christian Castro is back in custody in Texas after a federal grand jury indicted him on six counts of lying to investigators about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minnesota. Castro had been released from a Texas county jail a week earlier.

The indictment, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously, concerns the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota last winter. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty confirmed Castro’s arrest and said he was expected to appear first in federal court in Texas, followed by a hearing in Minnesota.

Castro also faces Minnesota state assault charges for shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg on Jan. 14. The shooting took place at the height of President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign in the state, which prompted weeks of protests.

A Minnesota arrest warrant remains active. Castro spent 90 days in a Texas county jail before his release. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, refused to sign extradition papers sent by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, and a federal judge in Texas rejected Minnesota’s request to compel extradition.

State charges also accuse Castro of falsely reporting a crime. He allegedly told Department of Homeland Security superiors that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom, but video evidence disproved that account. DHS has suspended Castro, and a civil rights investigation remains open. The person familiar with the case said no decision had yet been made in that inquiry.

The federal indictment represents an unusual move by the Justice Department, which has generally avoided prosecuting federal law enforcement officers. It is the first known criminal case brought by the department against a US immigration agent over alleged misconduct in the Minneapolis ICE operation. The article also reported that federal prosecutor Matt Evans, who had worked on the case, was fired after ProPublica reported that he sent an email, but the supplied text ends before explaining the email’s contents.

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We expect he will appear in federal court in Texas, and a date will be set for him to appear in federal court in Minnesota.