DOJ Blocked Civil Rights Charges Against ICE Agent in Shooting, Federal Prosecutor Says
A Justice Department decision to downgrade charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant came over the explicit and forceful objections of the federal prosecutor assigned to the case.
What happened
In January 2025, ICE agent Christian Castro shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in Minneapolis during a chase. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota prepared civil rights charges under deprivation of rights under color of law, a charge similar to those used against Minneapolis police officers in George Floyd's killing. In late February, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans informed victims' attorneys that Washington-level Justice Department leadership directed the charges be reduced to only False Statements, a far less severe charge. Evans wrote in an email that he "objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It wasn't enough." The DOJ stated that civil rights charges require consultation with the civil rights division in Washington and that any conclusions have not yet been reached. Castro is also facing multiple state felony charges in Minnesota including assault with a dangerous weapon, though he was released from jail after Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to extradite him to Minnesota.
Context
Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department's civil rights division has been reduced in size and has dropped some Biden-era oversight of law enforcement agencies. This decision exemplifies broader concerns about whether the DOJ is operating to support the Trump administration's political agenda rather than preserve rule of law. The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's immigration enforcement blitz in Minnesota, which saw three ICE agent shootings in the city. The downgrade of charges follows a pattern: according to ProPublica analysis, the Trump administration blamed injured and dead immigrants in almost every instance of ICE shootings within hours of incidents, and in many cases federal or local police declined to investigate the agents. A state prosecutor noted parallels to an earlier case where a DOJ-affiliated shooting death was dropped after federal authorities refused to cooperate with state police investigation.
What's disputed
The DOJ official statement says the civil rights investigation has not yet reached a conclusion and disputes that a final decision has been made, though Evans' email indicates the decision directing False Statements charges came from "Main Justice and the US Attorney."