Archive · 4 Sep 2026
ICE Agent Indicted Over Alleged Lies in Minnesota Shooting
An ICE officer named Christian Castro has been charged with allegedly lying to investigators.
The case involves the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minnesota.
Castro is accused of shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14.
State prosecutors say Castro falsely claimed that people attacked him with a snow shovel and broom.
Video evidence reportedly contradicted that account.
A federal grand jury indicted Castro on six counts of making false statements.
Minnesota still has an arrest warrant for him.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to approve his extradition to Minnesota.
Lawyers for Sosa-Celis want stronger civil rights charges.
A civil rights investigation is still continuing.
ICE agent Christian Castro was indicted on six counts of allegedly making false statements about a Minnesota shooting.
Castro is accused of shooting and wounding Venezuelan man Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis on January 14.
Minnesota state charges allege Castro falsely reported that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom.
Castro remains subject to a Minnesota arrest warrant after Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined to sign extradition papers.
The Justice Department prosecution is the first known federal case against an immigration officer over alleged wrongdoing in the Minneapolis operation.
- Who
- ICE agent Christian Castro, shooting victim Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, and federal and Minnesota authorities.
- What
- Castro was indicted on six federal counts of allegedly making false statements about a shooting; he also faces Minnesota state charges.
- When
- The shooting occurred on January 14, and the federal indictment was reported on Thursday, September 3.
- Where
- The shooting occurred in Minnesota during an immigration enforcement operation connected to Minneapolis; Castro was held in a Texas county jail.
- Why
- The charges concern allegations that Castro misrepresented how Sosa-Celis and others confronted him after the shooting.
Prosecution and accountability advocates
Trump administration defense
Appropriate accountability
Prosecution and accountability advocates
Sosa-Celis’s lawyer said Castro should be held fully accountable and argued that stronger civil rights charges are warranted because he allegedly shot through the door of an occupied house without self-defense justification.
Trump administration defense
The Trump administration has largely defended ICE agents’ conduct and has said they have absolute immunity from state prosecutions, a claim the report describes as incorrect.
State authority and extradition
Prosecution and accountability advocates
Minnesota authorities maintain an arrest warrant and have sought Castro’s extradition to face state charges.
Trump administration defense
Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to sign the extradition papers sent by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Castro was released from a Texas county jail.
- Federal charges
- Six counts of allegedly making false statements to investigators.
- State charges
- Minnesota charges include shooting and wounding Sosa-Celis and falsely reporting a crime.
- Shooting date
- January 14.
- Federal prosecution significance
- The first known Justice Department prosecution of a federal immigration officer for alleged wrongdoing in the Minneapolis operation.
- Current status
- Castro has an active Minnesota arrest warrant and has been suspended by the Department of Homeland Security.
- Extradition dispute
- Greg Abbott said he would not sign Minnesota extradition papers; Castro was released from a Texas county jail the previous week.
- Related investigation
- A civil rights investigation remains ongoing, with no decision yet reported.