ICE Agent Arrested on Minneapolis Shooting Charges

ICE officer Christian Castro, 52, appeared in Minneapolis court after Minnesota authorities arrested him in connection with the Jan. 14 shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during Operation Metro Surge. Prosecutors allege Castro fired through the closed door of a north Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg, and falsely claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man attacked him with a broom and shovel. Surveillance footage and witness accounts allegedly contradicted Castro’s account, prompting prosecutors to drop related assault charges against Sosa-Celis and the other man. Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime, along with separate federal charges of making false statements to investigators. Bail in the state case was set at $200,000, and his release conditions include electronic monitoring, a firearms prohibition and restrictions on contacting witnesses; he agreed to return to Minnesota if he violates those conditions. The case follows months of litigation between Minnesota and Texas over extradition, and Castro is scheduled for a federal court appearance while his state case proceeds.