Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with lying to investigators about the events surrounding the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis earlier this year. The Department of Justice indicted ICE agent Christian Castro on charges of making false statements connected to the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg.
The federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the charges. Castro is accused of opening fire through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis, and then misrepresenting the events that preceded the shooting. The incident triggered at least one night of unrest in the city.
The federal charges come after Castro was released from a Texas jail last week. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declined to sign an extradition warrant to hand him over to Minnesota authorities. Under Texas law, a person must be released after 90 days of detention when extradition is not granted. Last month, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed an unsuccessful request for a temporary restraining order in an effort to block Castro’s release or secure his return to Minnesota.
Castro faces separate state charges in Minnesota for assault and false reporting of a crime related to the same shooting. Federal authorities initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel during a confrontation. Those charges were later dropped after video evidence suggested the officers may have lied about the encounter, prompting a broader investigation.
The case has drawn attention amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in Minnesota. Reports this week indicated that federal prosecutors were barred by officials in Washington from pursuing civil rights charges against Castro. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department for comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.