Internet State

Federal prosecutors have charged ICE officer Christian Castro with lying under oath about the shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during an immigration crackdown in Minnesota in January, where Castro fired through a closed door, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg. Castro faces multiple state felony charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, and was recently released from detention in Texas after being held for 90 days due to a standoff over extradition. This indictment highlights a rare move by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration, amidst ongoing scrutiny of police accountability and ICE's use of force, with a 2025 ACLU report citing violent tactics in about one-third of 1,200 immigration enforcement incidents reviewed.

Christian Castro, an ICE agent, has been indicted on six federal charges for allegedly lying about a January 14 shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota. The incident involved Castro firing his weapon through a closed door, striking the victim in the leg, while he initially claimed self-defense against three assailants armed with a shovel and broom handle. Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to extradite Castro to Minnesota for trial, expressing doubts about him being a fugitive, despite Minnesota officials seeking his extradition due to the severity of the case.

ICE officer Christian Castro has been indicted for lying to federal investigators about the January shooting of Venezuelan man Julio Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg during the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge." This operation had resulted in two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, being shot and killed by agents and Sosa-Celis was one of three individuals targeted during the crackdown. Federal prosecutors revealed that initial charges against Sosa-Celis were dropped due to evidence inconsistencies, and reports indicate that efforts to bring civil rights charges against Castro have been blocked by the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors have charged ICE officer Christian Castro with lying to investigators regarding the shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis in Minnesota, where Castro allegedly shot Sosa-Celis in the leg during a January encounter as part of Operation Metro Surge. Initially accused of assault, Sosa-Celis had the charges dropped after it was revealed that Castro's claims were contradicted by surveillance footage. This incident is part of broader concerns over ICE behavior, with over two dozen shootings by federal immigration officers reported during the Trump administration, including two recent killings of U.S. citizens.