The United States federal prosecutors have filed charges against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro for allegedly making false statements to investigators regarding a shooting incident in Minneapolis in January, which resulted in an injury to a Venezuelan man’s leg. This marks the first lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the enforcement actions of ICE agents.
According to reports from Newsweek on Thursday, the shooting incident took place during a peak period of ICE immigration enforcement actions in the Twin Cities, following the fatal shooting of American citizen Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents a week earlier. The incident in Minneapolis led to riots that lasted at least one night.
On January 14th, ICE agent Castro and another officer were conducting an inspection for undocumented immigrants in Minneapolis when suspects Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis resisted inspection and fled.
During a pursuit into a row apartment, Castro fired his weapon, hitting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
According to FBI investigators’ sworn testimony, Agent Castro initially claimed that Aljorna violently resisted arrest and Sosa-Celis and others attacked the officers with a shovel and a broomstick, leading him to shoot Sosa-Celis in the leg as a result. The charges of resisting arrest and assaulting an officer against Sosa-Celis and another individual were later dropped after video evidence contradicted Castro’s account.
Subsequently, multiple agents, including Castro, were accused of perjury after the incident and an investigation was launched.
In May, ICE stated to Newsweek that lying after taking an oath is a serious violation of law, and the US Attorney’s Office was actively investigating the matter.
On May 29th, Castro was arrested in Cameron County, Texas.
Previously, local prosecutors in Minnesota had filed state-level charges against Agent Castro, including second-degree assault and filing a false report, and sought his extradition from Texas to Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent Castro’s release in Cameron County, stating concerns that Castro might flee to Mexico to avoid the criminal charges in Minnesota.
On August 26th, a federal judge in Texas, Fernando Rodriguez Jr., rejected Minnesota’s request for a temporary restraining order. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has not officially denied the extradition request.
Under Texas law, individuals awaiting extradition can only be detained for up to 90 days. Castro was released from a prison in Texas on August 27th.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently criticized Governor Abbott for not signing the transfer order over two months after the arrest, alleging that the delay is effectively impeding the extradition process.