ICE Agent Charged In Shooting Of Venezuelan Man

Hennepin County prosecutors charged Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro with multiple felony counts after investigators concluded he unlawfully shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during a January immigration operation in Minneapolis.

Castro, 52, faces four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Prosecutors also issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest.

The shooting happened Jan. 14 during “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale federal immigration crackdown launched in Minnesota during President Donald Trump’s second term.

According to prosecutors, Castro fired several shots through the front door of a north Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg while pursuing another man linked to an earlier vehicle chase. A bullet also traveled into a child’s bedroom inside the residence.

Video Contradicted Federal Narrative

Immediately after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security claimed Sosa-Celis and others attacked federal agents with snow shovels and broom handles, forcing the officer to fire in self-defense. Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as “an attempted murder of federal law enforcement.”

Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis with assaulting an officer. But those charges were later dismissed after surveillance footage and cellphone video contradicted the federal account.

Investigators said evidence showed the shooting occurred through the home’s front door while several people, including a child, were inside.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Monday that “a federal badge does not make him immune from state charges.” She also accused federal agencies of obstructing the investigation by refusing to share evidence with state prosecutors.

Minnesota Crackdown Sparked National Outrage

The case became one of the most controversial incidents connected to Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of federal immigration agents into Minnesota earlier this year.

The operation triggered widespread protests after several violent encounters involving federal agents, including the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

Civil rights groups, Minnesota officials and immigration advocates have repeatedly accused federal authorities of excessive force, racial profiling and misleading public statements about enforcement incidents.

The prosecution of a federal immigration officer by state authorities is highly unusual and could trigger a broader legal fight between Minnesota and the Trump administration over federal immunity and state jurisdiction.