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ICE officer indicted for lying to investigators in shooting of Venezuelan man during Minneapolis immigration operation

Confirmed1 source · Sep 3, 2026

Christian Castro, a federal immigration agent, has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators about the January shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis.

ICE officer indicted for lying to investigators in shooting of Venezuelan man during Minneapolis immigration operation
Image via The Guardian

What happened

Christian Castro, an ICE officer, was indicted on federal charges of making false statements to investigators regarding the shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg during Minneapolis immigration enforcement operations in January 2025. Castro had previously been charged in Minnesota state court with assault and false reporting related to the same incident. Video evidence released by Minneapolis showed Sosa-Celis dropping a shovel and running inside a house before Castro fired through the door; federal authorities had initially claimed Sosa-Celis attacked agents with a shovel and broom, characterizing it as attempted murder. Charges against Sosa-Celis were dropped after prosecutors identified evidence "materially inconsistent" with preliminary testimony. Castro was released from jail after Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant to Minnesota.

Context

The Trump administration launched "Operation Metro Surge" in the Twin Cities in early December 2025, sending thousands of federal agents to conduct immigration enforcement operations. The operation resulted in multiple shootings: Sosa-Celis, along with two U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot by federal immigration agents during the crackdown. The indictment represents a rare instance of the Trump Justice Department bringing criminal charges against a federal agent for on-the-job conduct. A federal prosecutor working on the case reported that Department of Justice officials blocked plans to bring civil rights charges against Castro, according to ProPublica. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, has claimed that ICE officers have "federal immunity" during the performance of duties.

What's disputed

The justification for the shooting remains contested. Sosa-Celis's attorney argues Castro shot him "without a self-defense justification" through a door of an occupied house. The federal government's account—that Sosa-Celis attacked agents with a shovel—was contradicted by video evidence and led to charges against Sosa-Celis being dropped.