ICE agent Christian Castro appears in Minnesota court after being charged with shooting Venezuelan man through apartment door and lying about it

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Christian Castro, an ICE agent charged with both state assault and federal false-reporting offences, appeared in a Minnesota court on Thursday after being arrested by state investigators the day before. Prosecutors allege he shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis through an apartment door in January, wounding him in the leg while children were inside, then told Department of Homeland Security officials the victim attacked him with a snow shovel and broom — an account video evidence directly contradicted. Castro is the first federal law enforcement officer prosecuted by the Justice Department over alleged wrongdoing tied to Operation Metro Surge, Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Castro's attorney said he had agreed to drive from Texas to surrender at his lawyer's office — but was arrested by state agents minutes before he arrived.