Meet ICE Agent Christian Castro, who has been arrested in Texas for shooting a Venezuelan citizen in Minneapolis and lying about it
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is still grappling with its missteps in Minneapolis as an ICE agent, Christian Castro, has now been arrested for the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. The 52-year-old ICE agent is the second federal agent to be charged over his conduct during the Minnesota crackdown, known as Operation Metro Surge, the first being Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr.
What happened on the evening of 14 January? What did the ICE agent do?
According to court documents, on the evening of the shooting, Castro had a brief altercation with Venezuelan migrant Alfredo Aljorna, whom he was trying to arrest after a car chase. When Aljorna broke free and entered her Minneapolis home, Castro fired a shot at the front door, wounding Aljorna’s roommate, Julio C. Sosa-Celis, in the leg. It was a non-fatal injury. Both of them are from Venezuela and are living legally in America.As protests over the shooting began, Castro misled investigators and told them that he had opened fire in self-defense after three men beat him for several minutes using shovels and brooms.Aljorna and Sousa-Celis were also charged based on this account.But surveillance footage later revealed that Castro’s statement was false. Charges against two Venezuelan men were dropped.As Castro was placed on leave in February, ICE interim director Todd Lyons said he was being investigated for allegedly lying under oath.But ICE officials are not supporting the state’s charges against Castro and his arrest and believe it is nothing more than a political stunt. “This is a federal issue and should be handled at the federal level,” the agency said in a statement Friday.If Castro waives his right to an extradition hearing in Texas, he could be quickly transported to Minnesota to stand trial. If he fights extradition, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, would need to make a formal request for his extradition to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican.