ICE Officer Arrested In Texas After Minneapolis Shooting During Immigration Crackdown
A federal immigration officer wanted in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration’s Minnesota immigration crackdown has been arrested in Texas, authorities said.
Christian Castro, 52, an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was taken into custody Friday, 11 days after prosecutors in Hennepin County, Minnesota, charged him with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa Celis.
Prosecutors said Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located Castro in Texas. The Texas Rangers said they assisted in the arrest in Cameron County, which sits along the U.S. Mexico border in the southernmost part of Texas.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General denied claims that its agents were involved in Castro’s arrest.
“Any characterization that DHS OIG agents participated in or led the arrest operation is inaccurate,” the Office of Inspector General said in a statement.
The statement disputed earlier descriptions from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office about the arrest. Messages seeking comment were also left with ICE and the Texas Rangers.
Online court records did not list an attorney for Castro, and it was not immediately clear whether he had legal representation.
Hennepin County Prosecutor Calls Arrest A Critical Step
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty called the arrest “a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro.”
Castro is the second federal agent charged over conduct during the Minnesota immigration crackdown, known as Operation Metro Surge.
He is also one of two agents ICE Director Todd Lyons said lied about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Prosecutors Say Officer Fired Through Front Door
According to prosecutors, Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis duplex and shot Sosa Celis in the thigh after Castro and another officer chased a different man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, to the apartment building where both men lived.
Moriarty said Sosa Celis and Aljorna were both legally in the United States.
Federal authorities initially accused Sosa Celis and Aljorna of beating an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. A federal judge later dismissed those charges.
ICE and the Justice Department later opened an investigation into whether officers lied about what happened.
ICE Calls Local Charges A Political Stunt
After the charges against Castro were announced, ICE said the U.S. attorney’s office was reviewing statements made by the officers involved.
The agency said the officers could face disciplinary action, including termination and prosecution.
ICE also criticized the Hennepin County attorney’s action, calling it “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General is separate from ICE and serves as a watchdog over DHS agencies, including ICE.
Video Released From Minneapolis Shooting
Minneapolis released video last month showing the moments before Sosa Celis was shot. The footage was recorded from a distance by a city owned security camera.
The video appears to show a person standing near the street with a snow shovel outside the home before retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard.
At the same time, another person is seen running from the street while being chased. That person falls on the sidewalk, gets up and continues toward the house.
The three people appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds. The exact moment when Sosa Celis is shot is not clear in the footage. A vehicle with flashing lights then pulls up, and another person walks toward the scene.
Operation Metro Surge Draws Scrutiny
The Trump administration sent thousands of officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area as part of President Donald Trump’s national deportation campaign. Federal officials described Operation Metro Surge as a success.
But tensions grew during the weekslong campaign. The shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers led to mass unrest and renewed questions about the conduct of officers involved in the crackdown.
Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration have clashed over who has the legal authority to investigate and prosecute federal officers for actions taken while on duty.
Last month, Moriarty’s office also charged immigration agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. with assault after he allegedly pointed his gun at people inside a car on a highway.
Morgan turned himself in last week. His lawyer disputes the charges.
The county is also investigating the killings of Good and Pretti. In March, Minnesota sued the Trump administration to gain access to evidence in those cases and in the shooting of Sosa Celis.
