ICE Agent Christian Castro Arrested In Texas Over Jan. 14 Shooting Of Venezuelan Julio Sosa-Celis

An ICE agent, Christian Castro, was arrested Friday in Texas after Minnesota prosecutors charged him over a Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis during the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Metro Surge.”

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said investigators with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located Castro in Texas, and Castro was taken into custody by law enforcement officials from Texas and Minnesota on charges of assault in the second degree and falsely reporting a crime.

Al Jazeera

Prosecutors said Castro fired a gunshot into a home, knowing it was occupied by multiple people, injuring Sosa-Celis, and the incident occurred during the three-month-long immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.

NBC News reported that DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon, and court records do not yet list an attorney for Castro.

The shooting followed ICE officers confronting Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, in an immigration enforcement action near their home, with Sosa-Celis shot in the leg, authorities said.

Minnesota Attorney General Mary Moriarty said Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were in Minnesota “lawfully” and that “this was a case of mistaken identity,” while federal authorities initially accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of attacking the officer with a shovel and a broom.

ICE Director Todd Lyons said a review of video evidence revealed that two officers appeared “to have made untruthful statements” in sworn testimony, and both officers were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Associated Press

The Guardian reported that surveillance video released by the city of Minneapolis in April “clearly contradicted the ICE officers’ stories,” saying neither Sosa-Celis nor Aljorna batter the officer with broomsticks and shovels and that there was no third man.

The Guardian also said prosecutors moved to dismiss their own case in February after reviewing footage, and it described the altercation as lasting approximately 12 seconds rather than three minutes.

In a statement after the charges were announced, ICE said the U.S. attorney’s office was investigating statements made by the officers, which could face disciplinary action including being fired and prosecuted.

Castro’s arrest was described by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty as “a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr Castro,” and NBC News said Castro was the second federal agent to be criminally charged for conduct during Operation Metro Surge.

“ICE, the highly criticized U”

BFM

The Hill reported that a DHS spokesperson called the arrest a “political stunt,” and said the U.S. Attorney’s Office is “actively investigating” allegations that Castro lied under oath.

CBS News said Minnesota BCA Superintendent Drew Evans stated the arrest “represents the next step in a long-established legal process,” and that investigators would begin work necessary to bring Castro back to Minnesota to face the charges.

The Texas Tribune reported that Castro faced three to seven years in prison and fines of $4,200 to $14,000 if convicted, and it said the charging document stemmed from a Jan. 14 incident involving ICE and Border Patrol agents pursuing undocumented immigrants.

The Hill added that state charges filed against Castro were likely to result in an attempt to “remove” the case to federal court, while Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said “nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government.”