ICE agent pleads not guilty to FBI false statement charges over Minneapolis shooting

Saint Paul, United States. Suspended US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges alleging he lied to the FBI about being attacked before he shot Venezuelan man Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg in Minneapolis in January.

The case is the first prosecution of a federal law enforcement officer by the US Justice Department for alleged wrongdoing connected to Operation Metro Surge, which deployed thousands of armed, masked agents to Minnesota cities during President Donald Trump’s deportation sweeps.

Federal and state charges

Federal prosecutors allege Castro falsely told investigators that Sosa-Celis, 24, and others attacked him with a broom and snow shovel before he fired his weapon.

Castro entered his plea in US District Court in Saint Paul one day after appearing on separate state charges in Minneapolis. Hennepin County prosecutors charged him with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and falsely reporting a crime.

A federal grand jury indicted Castro on six counts of making materially false statements, charges carrying a maximum prison sentence of six years.

Extradition dispute

The court appearances followed a months-long legal dispute over returning Castro, 52, from Texas to Minnesota. State charges were filed in May, but Castro spent 90 days in a Texas county jail after Republican Governor Greg Abbott declined to sign extradition documents sent by Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Castro was arrested again shortly after his release from the Texas jail, following the federal indictment. His lawyers said he drove from Texas to Minneapolis on Wednesday to surrender, spent the night in the Hennepin County jail and was later released on bail.

Shooting investigation

After the nonfatal January 14 shooting, Castro said he fired at Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan delivery driver, after Sosa-Celis and another man attacked him during a struggle on the ground.

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials repeated Castro’s account while defending the immigration enforcement operation, which prompted widespread protests in Minnesota.

Prosecutors said video evidence contradicted Castro’s version of events, leading the Justice Department to dismiss its case against Sosa-Celis and begin a criminal investigation into Castro.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the footage showed Castro standing a short distance away when he fired through the front door of Sosa-Celis’s home, striking him in the leg.