An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan man was arrested in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The detention comes eight months after the incident in which he wounded the man and later lied to investigators, which became a flashpoint in US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.Christian Castro turned himself in to agents of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in downtown Minneapolis and was booked into the Hennepin County jail on an outstanding arrest warrant, ICE said.Castro is facing state assault charges over the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national. He is also accused of falsely reporting a crime after allegedly telling Department of Homeland Security officials that Sosa-Celis and others had attacked him with a snow shovel and broom. Video evidence later disproved that account, prosecutors said.Castro’s arrest came after he was released on bond from federal custody earlier this month. He had been arrested in Texas on separate federal charges of making false statements to investigators about the shooting and was released with a GPS ankle monitor.His lawyer, Rolando Cantu, said Castro had always intended to face the charges in Minneapolis. He disputed prosecutors’ claims that his client might flee to Mexico.“He wants his day in court.”Castro was expected to make his first state court appearance in Minneapolis on Thursday. He is due to appear in US District Court in neighbouring St Paul on Friday morning over the federal charges.
Case linked to Operation Metro Surge
The state case stems from a confrontation during Operation Metro Surge, the large-scale ICE deployment in Minneapolis as part of Trump’s wider immigration crackdown.Castro allegedly shot Sosa-Celis in the leg through the door of his apartment while children were inside. The incident triggered protests and clashes between federal immigration agents and demonstrators.After the shooting, Castro returned to his home state of Texas, preventing Minnesota authorities from immediately arresting him. A warrant was later issued for his arrest.Texas Rangers eventually apprehended Castro. However, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined to sign extradition papers sent by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.Abbott questioned whether Castro could be considered a fugitive because the Department of Homeland Security had reassigned him to Texas after the Minneapolis shooting.Castro spent about 90 days in a Texas county jail and was released on August 27 after a federal judge rejected Minnesota’s request for an immediate extradition order.He was arrested again in Texas after a federal grand jury indicted him in early September on charges of making false statements. The indictment marked the first US Justice Department prosecution of a federal law enforcement officer accused of wrongdoing linked to Operation Metro Surge.DHS has suspended Castro from ICE. A person familiar with the case has also said that a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Sosa-Celis was opened.“Governor Abbott’s attempt to shield Mr. Castro from accountability has failed. We look forward to commencing our prosecution,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement.
