Minnesota officials charge ICE agent in shooting of Venezuelan immigrant

Minnesota prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, identified as 53-year-old Christian Castro, with assault. The charges stem from the January shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis. Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime. This incident occurred during an immigration crackdown in the city. The victim, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, was shot in the leg. Castro is the second federal agent to be charged by Minneapolis officials in connection with this immigration enforcement surge, which also involved the deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced charges against ICE officer Christian Castro in connection with the January 14 shooting of Julio César Sosa-Celis in Minnesota. Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national legally in the U.S., was shot in the thigh by a federal officer during an immigration crackdown. Federal authorities initially claimed Sosa-Celis assaulted officers, but charges were later dismissed, and an investigation into potential false statements by officers was opened. Video evidence released by Minneapolis reportedly contradicted ICE's initial account of the incident. The charges come amid ongoing tensions between state and federal officials regarding jurisdiction over investigations into federal officer conduct.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, Christian Castro, for a nonfatal shooting that occurred on January 14. Castro is charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man, during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Moriarty stated that Sosa-Celis was legally in the U.S. and posed no threat, and that Castro fired through a door into an apartment where people had just entered. Federal authorities had initially accused Sosa-Celis of assaulting an officer, but those charges were dismissed, and an investigation into potential false statements by officers was opened. Moriarty emphasized that federal officers are not immune from state charges for criminal conduct.