ICE agent Christian Castro was federally indicted on six counts, including making false statements to investigators about the January 14 shooting of Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis, authorities said September 2 [1, 2]. Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg through a closed front door of a Minnesota home during a January immigration crackdown called Operation Metro Surge under the Trump administration [1, 3, 4, 5, 2].
Following the shooting, Sosa-Celis and others faced assault charges for allegedly attacking agents with a shovel and broomstick. Those charges were later dropped after video evidence contradicted official accounts and triggered investigations [1, 3, 4, 2]. Federal prosecutors separately charged Castro in Minnesota with assault and false reporting of a crime related to the incident [1, 4, 5, 2].
Castro was arrested in Texas in May and jailed for 90 days but was released when Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to approve his extradition to Minnesota. Abbott cited serious doubts Castro qualified as a fugitive, though some sources note no detailed explanation was given for withholding the extradition warrant [1, 3, 4, 5, 2].
Attorney Robin Wolpert, representing Sosa-Celis, said Castro was indicted "for making false statements. But he made them to cover up the fact that he shot my client through the door of an occupied house without a self-defense justification." Wolpert added, "Although the evidence strongly supports civil rights charges, the federal government has grossly undercharged this case. Mr. Sosa Celis wants Mr. Castro to be held fully accountable for his crimes." [3]
Reports from ProPublica and others indicated federal officials blocked a prosecutor’s effort to file civil rights charges against Castro for the shooting [4, 2]. However, some sources made no explicit mention of blocked civil rights charges and focused on assault and lying allegations [1, 3, 5].
The ICE operation in Minneapolis led to protests and violent confrontations, including fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during enforcement actions [1, 3, 5].
The indictment of Castro remains sealed and is expected to be unsealed when he is taken into custody [1, 2].
