Federal Authorities Charge ICE Officer With Lying About On-Duty Shooting in Minneapolis

A federal grand jury indicted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro on Wednesday, and he surrendered to federal authorities in Texas on Thursday to face six counts of making false statements to investigators. The charges stem from a January 14, 2026, shooting in Minneapolis where Castro wounded a Venezuelan immigrant, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, during a large-scale federal immigration sweep.[3][4]

The federal indictment marks a sharp reversal from the government's initial portrayal of the January encounter. Following the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security and Castro stated under oath that Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, had attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.[2][4]

Based on those initial sworn statements, the Justice Department filed federal assault charges against both Sosa-Celis and Aljorna. However, federal prosecutors abruptly dropped the case against the two men in February 2026 with prejudice, citing "newly discovered evidence" that was materially inconsistent with the officers' testimony.[4][5]

Surveillance video released by the city of Minneapolis contradicted the federal account, showing Sosa-Celis dropping a shovel and both men running inside the house as an agent fired in their direction. Prosecutors now allege that Castro, 52, fired his service weapon through the closed front door of the occupied duplex, striking Sosa-Celis in the thigh.[2][5]

The federal false-statement charges follow a protracted jurisdictional dispute over Castro's custody. In May 2026, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged Castro in Minnesota state court with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, prompting a nationwide arrest warrant.[1][4]

Texas Rangers arrested Castro in Cameron County on May 29, 2026, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to sign an extradition warrant to return him to Minnesota. After 90 days in detention, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the state was under no deadline to extradite, and Castro was released from a Brownsville jail on August 27.[4][5]

"Despite Gov. Abbott's best efforts to shield Mr. Castro, we will see him soon," Moriarty wrote in a statement following his release and subsequent federal indictment. The federal proceeding operates independently of the Minnesota state case, meaning Castro faces potential federal liability for lying to investigators while still facing state prosecution for the underlying use of force.[2][4]

The January 14 shooting occurred during "Operation Metro Surge," a Trump administration directive that deployed thousands of federal agents to the Twin Cities beginning in December 2025. The operation resulted in multiple violent encounters, including the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal officers.[4][5]

While the Justice Department has moved forward with the false-statement indictment, attorneys for the victims argue the federal response remains insufficient. Internal communications revealed that a federal prosecutor in Minnesota strongly objected to the Justice Department's decision not to pursue more severe civil rights charges against Castro.[1][5]

"Mr. Castro has been indicted for making false statements. But he made them to cover up the fact that he shot my client through the door of an occupied house without a self-defense justification," said Robin Wolpert, the attorney representing Sosa-Celis. "Although the evidence strongly supports civil rights charges, the federal government has grossly undercharged this case."[5]