Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro, who allegedly wrongfully discharged his firearm and misrepresented his facts in the apprehension of a Venezuelan illegal immigrant during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, reportedly has been indicted by a grand jury and charged by the Department of Justice.
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, Fox News Digital has learned.
The Department of Justice has charged ICE agent Christian Castro with making false statements connected to the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Minnesota on Wednesday, a source familiar with the charges said.
As RedState reported in August, Minneapolis elected officials, led by Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty, filed charges against Castro for four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Despite a campaign to have Castro extradited to Minnesota, Castro was released from detention in Texas.
Federal prosecutors today charged an ICE agent with lying about the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant.
— ProPublica (@propublica) September 3, 2026
Last night, we reported that the prosecutor had planned to bring more serious civil rights charges but was blocked by DOJ officials in D.C.https://t.co/885xkcRm3p
According to an exclusive report from ProPublica, Minnesota federal attorneys were barred from trying to bring civil rights charges against Castro.
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota had been preparing to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law for the shooting of Sosa-Celis, according to several people familiar with the case. Those charges are similar to the ones leveled against Minneapolis police officers accused in George Floyd’s killing and can carry hefty prison sentences.
Late on Tuesday, Matthew Evans, the assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota in charge of the case, told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims to prepare for Castro to be charged “only with False Statements,” according to an email that was reviewed by ProPublica.
That charge would likely carry a far less severe punishment if he were convicted.
“This is being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney,” Evans wrote in a remarkably candid account of internal deliberations. “I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It wasn’t enough.”
The DOJ has yet to release a statement concerning the charges against Castro. Castro is also still facing those state charges in Minnesota.
This is a developing story. RedState will provide further updates as more information becomes available.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
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Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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