By Isabella McHugh
Nation & World Editor
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Christian Castro was accused of shooting a Venezuelan Man in Minneapolis and then lying. He was charged with six federal counts in total.
Castro is the first ICE agent to be federally prosecuted by the Justice Department for his actions during Operation Metro Surge in January, according to The Associated Press.
Castro claimed Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis and another individual attacked him, and that he shot him in the leg out of self defense, according to ABC7 New York. Castro swore under oath when made this statement.
Sosa-Celis was initially charged with assault, but those charges were dropped after evidence surfaced which contradicted the officers’ statements, according to NPR. Along with facing federal charges, Castro is facing state-level assault charges for shooting Sosa-Celis.
“Video evidence has revealed the sworn testimony of the two agents appeared to be false,” former ICE director Todd Lyons stated, according to ProPublica.
Castro allegedly shot through the front door of a house, and a bullet hit Sosa-Celis in the thigh, The Associated Press reported. He and another officer pursued Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna to the home where Aljorna and Sosa-Celis lived.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans wrote a letter to Sosa-Celis’s attorney telling the attorney to prepare for Castro to be charged “only with false statements,” according to ProPublica.
He was charged with “four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime,” according to ABC News.
Sosa-Celis's attorney said that Castro “lied to cover up the fact that he shot my client through the door of an occupied house without a self-defense justification,” according to NPR.
The federal charges arose a week after Castro was released from jail in Brownsville, Texas, according to NBC News. He was arrested back in May for the state-level assault case.
Whether or not this will result in a more serious charge is to be determined, NBC reported. As of now, Castro “has not yet entered a plea” to any of the state or federal charges, according to ABC news.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott would not sign Castro’s extradition warrant. However, one of his spokespeople, Andrew Mahaleris, said, “State law enforcement stands ready and willing to assist federal partners in facilitating Mr. Castro's arrest if needed.”
Hennepin County, Minnesota, Attorney Mary Moriarty thinks Castro will end up in Minnesota shortly, according to NBC news. She said, “Despite Gov. Abbott’s best efforts to shield Mr. Castro, we will see him soon.”
ICE has faced significant backlash in recent years, with people citing violent incidents, including the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
They’ve shot over 20 individuals under the Trump administration’s intensifying immigration crackdown, according to NPR.
