ICE agent charged with shooting immigrant during Minnesota enforcement surge
Terry CollinsProsecutors in Minnesota have issued an arrest warrant for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who allegedly shot a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis during the federal government’s Operation Metro Surge earlier this year.
At a news conference in Minneapolis on May 18, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty identified the ICE agent as Christian J. Castro, 52. She alleged Castro shot Julio C. Sosa-Celis, injuring him in the leg, as ICE agents were chasing another man in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14.
Castro faces multiple second-degree felony assault charges involving a weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor, according to a criminal complaint. Moriarty said Castro fired his weapon at a home where Sosa-Celis and others, including children, were inside.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately return USA TODAY's request for comment regarding Moriarty's statements and the criminal charges.
Moriarty said her office is fully prepared for what happens next, calling the incident a case of mistaken identity. The agents were looking for undocumented immigrants.
"A violent crime did occur that night, but it was Mr. Castro who committed it. He shot through the door of a home with many people, including children, inside, while fortunately missing several others," Moriarty told reporters during the news conference. "Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota."
Moriarty said ICE Director Todd Lyons acknowledged that two ICE officers lied in the aftermath of the incident, and Castro was one of them. The north Minneapolis shooting happened just one week after the fatal shooting of Renee Good and 10 days before ICU nurse Alex Pretti's fatal shooting by federal officers, both in south Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge.
The county attorney said Castro's defense team might get the case moved into federal court, but she maintained her office will still lead the prosecution. Should Castro be convicted, he will not be eligible for a presidential pardon, Moriarty added.