Minnesota Issues Arrest Warrant for ICE Agent After Investigators Reject 'Defensive Shot' Narrative

Minnesota prosecutors on Monday charged ICE agent Christian J. Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis, issuing a nationwide warrant for Castro's arrest after investigators rejected the government's earlier claim that the agent fired a "defensive shot."

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Castro fired through the front door of a home "knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no threat to him or anyone else." According to prosecutors, the bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg before traveling through a closet wall and lodging in a child's bedroom.

"A violent crime did occur that night, but it was Mr. Castro who committed it," Moriarty said Monday, according to the Minnesota Reformer. Prosecutors said four adults and two children were inside the house at the time of the shooting.

The case stems from a January 14 ICE operation tied to the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge" immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Federal authorities initially claimed Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan man, Alfredo Aljorna, attacked Castro with a shovel and broom before the agent fired "a defensive shot to defend his life."

But surveillance footage released in April by Minneapolis authorities appeared to contradict that account. Prosecutors said the video showed Sosa-Celis dropping a snow shovel before retreating toward the house while Aljorna, who had slipped outside the doorway, briefly struggled with Castro. According to the complaint, Castro fired seconds after the men had separated and the two Venezuelans moved inside the home.

Moriarty said Castro "was not under any physical threat when he fired his weapon" and "was not hit by a shovel or a broom. In fact, he was not hit at all."

The Justice Department dropped assault charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna in February after reviewing the footage. Then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons acknowledged that two federal agents appeared to have made "untruthful statements" under oath and placed them on administrative leave, as NBC News points out.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said federal officers are not immune from state prosecution. "There's no such thing as complete immunity," he said. According to the Minnesota Reformer, prosecutors expect Castro's defense to seek removal of the case to federal court under Supremacy Clause protections for federal officers acting within the scope of their duties.