Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer with making false statements related to the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, in Minneapolis. The Department of Justice indicted ICE agent Christian Castro on Wednesday before a federal grand jury in Minnesota.
Castro is accused of firing his weapon through the front door of a Minneapolis residence, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg, and subsequently providing investigators with a false account of the incident. This occurred during a period of intensified immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
The charges follow Castro's release from a Texas jail, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declined to sign an extradition warrant to transfer him to Minnesota. Under Texas law, Castro was eligible for release after 90 days of detention, barring extradition. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison had previously sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Castro's release or ensure his return to Minnesota, but the request was unsuccessful.
Castro faces separate state charges in Minnesota, including assault and false reporting of a crime, stemming from the same shooting incident. Initially, federal authorities alleged that Sosa-Celis and another individual assaulted officers with a broom handle and a snow shovel during the confrontation. However, subsequent video evidence suggested the officers' accounts might have been inaccurate, leading to an investigation.
According to a ProPublica report, federal prosecutors were reportedly prevented by officials in Washington from pursuing civil rights charges against Castro.
ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Justice Department have been contacted for comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.