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ICE officer Christian Castro indicted for lying to the FBI about a Minneapolis shooting

Minneapolis federal courthouse.
Minneapolis federal courthouse.

McGhiever / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

A Minnesota federal grand jury charged Castro with six counts of false statements in the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. He pleaded not guilty in McAllen, Texas, and was released on a $75,000 unsecured bond.

A Minnesota federal grand jury indicted ICE officer Christian Castro, 52, on six counts of making false statements to the FBI about the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis. Prosecutors say Castro fired through a closed door, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg, then lied about a broom-and-shovel attack, firing from his back, and a three-minute struggle; video showed about 11 seconds and Castro standing. Castro turned himself in in Texas on Thursday, pleaded not guilty Friday in McAllen, and was released on a $75,000 unsecured bond with GPS monitoring. He already faces Minnesota state charges of assault and false reporting. Gov. Greg Abbott did not sign an extradition warrant, and Castro was released from a Texas jail on Aug. 27 after a 90-day hold. ProPublica reported that Justice Department officials blocked civil-rights charges; a source told the AP that investigation is still ongoing. The prosecutor who objected, Matthew Evans, was fired.

Shared facts

The shooting happened during a federal immigration surge in Minnesota, also called Operation Metro Surge.

The shooting came about a week after federal agents killed Renee Good in Minneapolis.

The shooting occurred on Jan. 14.

Castro and another agent chased Alfredo Aljorna after a traffic stop to a north Minneapolis duplex.

Aljorna shared the home with Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.

The shooting was at a home in north Minneapolis.

Video showed the struggle lasted about 11 seconds.

The man who was shot is Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant.

Sosa-Celis was 24 years old.

Castro fired through a closed door of the home.

Castro fired from a standing position; he had told investigators he fired from his back.

Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg.

Two children were inside the house when Castro fired.

Authorities initially said Sosa-Celis and another man attacked an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

Castro told investigators the struggle lasted about three minutes.

Federal prosecutors charged Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with assaulting a federal officer.

Video evidence contradicted the officers' accounts of the encounter.

Video showed the men had not assaulted the officer as described.

Federal prosecutors dropped the charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna in February.

Then-acting ICE head Todd Lyons said video showed two officers' sworn testimony appeared untruthful.

ICE or DHS said lying under oath is a serious federal offense.

Castro has been suspended without pay.

Minnesota charged Castro with assault and false reporting of a crime.

Minnesota sought to extradite Castro from Texas.

Under Texas law Castro could not be held on the extradition request for more than 90 days.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not sign an extradition warrant for Castro.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed an unsuccessful request to block Castro's release or force his return.

Castro was released from a Texas jail last week, on Aug. 27.

No one has been charged in the January fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.

This is the first federal prosecution of a federal officer for actions during Operation Metro Surge.

Federal prosecutors charged ICE officer Christian Castro with making false statements to investigators about the shooting.

Castro faces six counts of making false statements.

A federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment on Wednesday.

Castro is 52 years old.

Castro turned himself in and was taken into federal custody in Texas on Thursday.

Castro appeared in federal court in McAllen, Texas, on Friday.

Castro pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

A judge released Castro on a $75,000 unsecured bond.

Castro must surrender his passport and submit to GPS monitoring.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said, despite Abbott's efforts, they will see Castro soon.

Prosecutor Matthew Evans said he objected in the strongest possible terms to charging only false statements.

Matthew Evans, a federal prosecutor who worked on the Castro case, was fired.

The Justice Department is investigating Evans over allegations of leaking.

The ACLU of Minnesota said it plans to help Sosa-Celis seek damages from the federal government.

Disputed facts

Sources disagree on whether Justice Department officials blocked civil-rights charges against Castro or whether that investigation is still ongoing.

Fox News

DOJ charges ICE officer with lying to investigators following Minneapolis shooting of Venezuelan man

Louis Casiano

3 Sep 2026

Facts

The shooting was followed by at least one night of unrest in Minneapolis.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

CBS News

ICE officer who shot immigrant in Minnesota in federal custody on charges of lying to investigators, source says

Nicole Sganga, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Sarah N. Lynch

3 Sep 2026

Facts

Castro was charged in May by local prosecutors.

DHS said an officer then fired a defensive shot to defend his life.

DHS initially said Sosa-Celis fled a traffic stop, crashed the vehicle and fled on foot.

An FBI affidavit said Aljorna was the one who fled, and that Sosa-Celis initially struck Castro with a broomstick.

Cellphone video shared by a Democratic state lawmaker showed a woman telling 911 that her husband was chased by ICE agents and shot in front of his family.

Both officers were placed on leave.

The charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they could not be reintroduced.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

NBC News

Feds charge ICE officer with lying to investigators in the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant

Nicole Acevedo, Julia Ainsley, Laura Strickler, Ryan J. Reilly

4 Sep 2026

Facts

Castro was arrested in May in the Minnesota case.

Abbott cited fraud investigations involving Minnesota social-services programs.

Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris said Texas state law enforcement stands ready to assist federal partners.

Mahaleris said details of any federal indictment are best addressed to the Justice Department.

Castro will face travel restrictions, with an exception to travel to Minnesota for his next court appearance.

Evans did not immediately respond, and his DOJ email returned an automated reply saying he was on leave.

Opinion

Ellison said Christian Castro would face justice in Minnesota.

Castro's attorneys said the decision shows the court trusts he will appear and does not consider him a flight risk.

MPR News

ICE agent indictment includes new details of shooting that wounded Venezuelan man

Matt Sepic

4 Sep 2026

Facts

A federal indictment unsealed Friday includes new details of the shooting.

The charges against Castro come more than seven months after the incident.

The indictment notes Castro joined ICE in September 2025 after about eight years as a Border Patrol agent.

Castro is scheduled to appear in Minnesota federal court on Sept. 18.

Mary Moriarty said the federal case will expedite Castro’s return to Minnesota.

Opinion

Sosa Celis’ attorney Robin Wolpert said the charges against Castro are inadequate.

Wolpert said Castro made the false statements to cover up shooting her client through the door of an occupied house without self-defense.

Wolpert said the evidence strongly supports civil-rights charges and that the federal government has grossly undercharged the case.

Wolpert said Sosa Celis wants Castro held fully accountable for his crimes.

Al Jazeera

ICE agent charged with lying under oath about Minnesota shooting

Al Jazeera Staff

3 Sep 2026

Facts

The Associated Press and The New York Times reported the indictment, quoting a person familiar with the matter.

The indictment was expected to be unsealed when Castro is detained.

Castro’s whereabouts were unclear as of Thursday.

An AP review in February found about two dozen ICE employees and contractors had faced criminal charges since 2020.

An ACLU report in July documented violent tactics or civil-rights violations in about a third of 1,200 immigration enforcement incidents reviewed in 2025.

The documents said Castro knew the home was occupied by several people.

After a brief scramble, the two men ran inside.

The other agent involved was also suspended, but has not yet been charged.

The Trump administration has scaled back the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and dismantled several Biden-era police oversight initiatives.

In August, immigration agents detained 50,925 people, which DHS called a record for arrests in a single month.

Opinion

The charges mark a rare move by the Justice Department under Trump.

Trump’s top officials have argued that immigration agents maintain broad protections while conducting enforcement, a position many legal experts reject.

The administration has revved up its mass deportation campaign across the country.

CBS Minnesota

Unsealed federal indictment details alleged lies by ICE officer charged in Minneapolis shooting

The Associated Press, Nicole Sganga and Camilo Montoya-Galvez

4 Sep 2026

Facts

Christian Castro works for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Castro faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count if convicted.

Castro was shackled at his wrists, waist and feet during the hearing.

The bullet continued through the entryway and lodged in a downstairs wall.

Lindenmuth said Castro served in the military before becoming a federal immigration officer.

The case was investigated by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the Minnesota BCA, DHS’s inspector general, and the FBI.

An automatic email from Evans' Justice Department account said he was on leave.

Opinion

Castro’s attorney David Lindenmuth urged the public not to rush to judgment and to let Castro have his day in court.

Wolpert said Castro's statements were made to cover up shooting her client through the door of an occupied house without self-defense.

Lindenmuth said Castro’s life has been public service through the military or border enforcement.

Sosa-Celis' attorney Robin Wolpert is pressing for Castro to face stiffer charges.

Wolpert said Sosa-Celis wants Castro held fully accountable for his crimes.