ICE Agent Arrested in Texas After Shooting Venezuelan Man and Lying About It

Federal Agent's False Claims Unravel

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis and then lied about the circumstances was arrested Friday by Texas Rangers and federal agents in South Texas. Christian Castro, 52, faces four felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis.

The incident began when Castro and three other ICE agents chased Venezuelan man Alfredo Aljorna to his Minneapolis home, where Castro fired through the front door, striking Aljorna's roommate Sosa-Celis in the leg. After the shooting, Castro told federal investigators that both men had attacked him with a shovel and broom to avoid arrest.

Based on Castro's false statements, federal prosecutors initially charged Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, both of whom are in the country legally, with assaulting a law enforcement officer. Trump administration officials widely publicized their mug shots, with former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem even accusing them of "attempted murder."

Video Evidence Exposes the Truth

Video evidence and witness accounts completely contradicted Castro's claims that Sosa-Celis and his cousin had attacked the agent with a shovel. The initial narrative provided by Castro and amplified by the Trump administration came undone when city security footage was turned over to investigators.

The video shows Sosa-Celis running toward the house but slipping and falling before the ICE agent catches up with him, with another man dropping a snow shovel and going inside the house. Castro's version described three men beating him with a shovel and broom for about three minutes while he was "exhausted, alone, on the ground, and in fear of his safety." Medical records show Castro "suffered no demonstrable trauma to his body except for an abrasion to his left hand at the base of his thumb."

According to the criminal complaint, Castro fired into the home "knowing it was occupied by multiple individuals," with investigators recovering a 9mm shell casing and documenting a bullet trajectory that traveled through the front door and multiple interior walls before lodging in a child's bedroom wall. Paramedics were not allowed access to Sosa-Celis for nearly an hour after he was shot.

Pattern of Federal Misconduct

A review of video evidence revealed that two officers appeared "to have made untruthful statements" in sworn testimony, according to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who placed both officers on administrative leave. All federal charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were later dismissed with prejudice after prosecutors said new evidence was "materially inconsistent with the allegations" against them.

Castro is the second federal agent to be criminally charged for conduct during Operation Metro Surge, with another ICE agent, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., charged last month with felony second-degree assault for allegedly pointing a gun at the heads of two civilians. The shooting took place during Operation Metro Surge, which saw thousands of federal agents dispatched to the Twin Cities and resulted in the fatal shootings of Renée Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.

Legal Battle Ahead

Castro has been booked into Texas' Cameron County Jail and is now awaiting extradition to Minnesota. The Department of Homeland Security called Castro's arrest "unlawful" and a "political stunt," arguing the agent's actions should be handled at the federal, not state level.

The state charges are likely to result in an attempt to move Castro's case to federal court, but if removal is granted, prosecutors will still handle the case, and any conviction would not be eligible for a presidential pardon. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison emphasized that "nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government."

This case represents a rare instance of state prosecutors successfully challenging federal immigration enforcement tactics, potentially setting a precedent for accountability in future operations. The outcome could determine whether federal agents can continue operating with virtual impunity during immigration crackdowns.