ICE agent Christian Castro charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man in Minneapolis

ICE agent Christian Castro has surrendered to federal authorities and pleaded not guilty to six counts of lying about the January 14, 2026, shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. While Castro claimed he fired in self-defense during a brutal assault, surveillance video showed him standing and shooting through a closed door. The case has sparked intense political and legal friction, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott's refusal to extradite Castro to face state charges in Minnesota, and the firing of a federal prosecutor who claimed the Department of Justice blocked more severe civil rights charges.

Castro false statements indictment

• ▪A federal grand jury indicted ICE officer Christian Castro on six counts of making false statements to the FBI regarding the January 14, 2026, shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis.
• ▪A federal judge ordered Christian Castro's release on a $75,000 unsecured bond with GPS monitoring and travel restrictions on September 4, 2026.
• ▪Christian Castro faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the six federal counts of making false statements if convicted.
• ▪Christian Castro pleaded not guilty to the six federal counts of making false statements during a court appearance in McAllen, Texas, on September 4, 2026.

Video contradicting Castro account

• ▪Surveillance video of the January 14, 2026, incident showed Christian Castro standing up and firing through a closed door, contradicting his claim that he fired from his back while being assaulted.
• ▪Federal prosecutors dropped assault charges against Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna after surveillance video contradicted the ICE officers' accounts of the January 14, 2026, encounter.

Texas extradition refusal

• ▪Minnesota prosecutors filed a lawsuit alleging Christian Castro was a flight risk who discussed marrying a woman and buying a house in Mexico while detained in Texas.
• ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott and a federal judge refused to extradite Christian Castro from Texas to Minnesota, leading to his release from a Texas jail in late August 2026.

Federal custody after surrender

• ▪Christian Castro surrendered to federal authorities in Texas on September 3, 2026, following the unsealing of his federal indictment.
• ▪Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated they expect Christian Castro will still be extradited to Minnesota to face state assault charges.

DOJ limiting civil rights charges

• ▪Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans was fired and placed under investigation for alleged grand jury obstruction and leaking after telling lawyers that DOJ officials blocked civil rights charges against Christian Castro.
• ▪A Department of Justice official stated that the federal civil rights investigation into Christian Castro is ongoing and no final charging decision has been reached.

Operation Metro Surge shooting

• ▪Christian Castro shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge, a massive federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities.
• ▪Operation Metro Surge resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal immigration officers in Minnesota.