ICE agent arrested in Minnesota after months-long extradition standoff over shooting of Venezuelan man

Federal immigration officer Christian Castro was arrested in Minneapolis on September 16, 2026, ending an eight-month extradition standoff between Minnesota and Texas. Castro faces state assault and federal false statement charges for shooting Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis through an apartment door on January 14, 2026, and falsely claiming he was attacked with a shovel and broom. Following the arrest, Minnesota dismissed its lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who had blocked Castro's extradition.

Castro arrest in Minneapolis

• ▪Christian Castro voluntarily drove from Texas to Minneapolis to surrender at his attorney's office but was arrested by Minnesota authorities minutes before his planned arrival.
• ▪Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents arrested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro in downtown Minneapolis on September 16, 2026.

Court appearance bail hearing

• ▪Christian Castro is scheduled to make his next Minnesota state court appearance on November 3, 2026.
• ▪As a condition of his lower bail, Christian Castro signed a pre-waiver of extradition, agreeing not to fight extradition and to return to Minnesota if he violates release conditions.
• ▪Minnesota Judge Paul Scoggin granted Christian Castro bond on September 17, 2026, setting bail at $400,000 without conditions and $200,000 with conditions.

January shooting incident details

• ▪U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro shot Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg through the front door of a Minneapolis home on January 14, 2026.
• ▪The U.S. Justice Department initially charged Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and another man with assault, but later dropped the charges after acknowledging officers made untruthful statements.
• ▪The bullet fired by Christian Castro passed through Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis' leg and lodged into the wall of a bedroom where children were present inside the home.

Minnesota-Texas extradition dispute

• ▪Christian Castro spent 90 days in a Texas county jail before being released on August 27, 2026, after a federal judge denied Minnesota's request to compel immediate extradition.
• ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to sign an extradition warrant for Christian Castro, questioning if he was a fugitive because the Department of Homeland Security reassigned him to Texas.
• ▪Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison dismissed Minnesota's lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott on September 17, 2026, following Christian Castro's arrest in Minneapolis.

Federal charges false statements

• ▪Christian Castro's federal indictment is the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer for actions taken during the Operation Metro Surge immigration enforcement deployment.
• ▪Federal prosecutors charged Christian Castro with making false statements to investigators regarding the January 14, 2026 shooting, but did not bring civil rights charges.
• ▪The Department of Homeland Security suspended Christian Castro from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a civil rights investigation into the shooting has been opened.

State assault charges

• ▪Hennepin County prosecutors allege Christian Castro falsely reported to superiors that Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom, which video evidence disproved.
• ▪Hennepin County prosecutors charged Christian Castro with four counts of state assault and one count of false reporting of a crime on May 18, 2026.

Debatable claims

• ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott was justified in blocking Christian Castro's extradition
• ▪Minnesota has the legal authority to prosecute ICE agent Christian Castro