Nicolai Haugsted
The ICE-agent who shot a man in Minneapolis, has now been arrested in Texas
Questions surrounding federal immigration operations in Minnesota continue to grow months after a controversial enforcement campaign triggered public outrage and multiple investigations.
According to Reuters, authorities in Texas arrested an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Friday in connection with a shooting that took place in Minneapolis earlier this year, marking another extraordinary chapter in an increasingly rare effort by state prosecutors to bring criminal charges against federal law enforcement personnel.
Case centers on a January incident involving a Venezuelan man who survived after being shot in the leg.
Arrest Made in Texas
Christian Castro, a 52-year-old ICE agent, was taken into custody at a residence in Harlingen, Texas.
Investigators from Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension traveled to Texas to locate him and carried out the arrest with assistance from the Texas Rangers.
Officials say Castro will be transferred to Minnesota to face prosecution.
Charges include four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Disputed Account of Shooting
Prosecutors allege Castro shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during a confrontation on January 14.
Federal authorities initially claimed Sosa-Celis and two other men had attacked the agent with a shovel outside a house.
Later investigations produced a different version of events.
According to prosecutors, Castro was alone outside the property and fired his weapon through the home’s front door, striking Sosa-Celis.
Justice Department subsequently abandoned criminal cases against Sosa-Celis and the other men involved.
Department of Homeland Security later acknowledged that ICE agents had provided inaccurate information about the incident.
Federal and State Authorities Clash
Case highlights a growing conflict between Minnesota prosecutors and the Trump administration over accountability for federal law enforcement actions.
Mary Moriarty, the chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, has become one of the few state officials in the country willing to pursue criminal cases against federal officers.
Castro is the second federal official charged by her office this year.
State officials argue that federal agents should not be exempt from state criminal laws.
Homeland Security officials strongly disagree.
“Nothing more than a political stunt,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said about the prosecution.
Agency also argued that any alleged misconduct by federal officers “must be handled at the federal level.”
Wider Fallout From Immigration Operations
Shooting occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement effort that deployed hundreds of armed agents across Minnesota.
Campaign became highly controversial after multiple deadly encounters involving federal officers.
Two American citizens were killed in separate shootings involving immigration agents during the same period.
Trump administration defended the officers involved and argued they acted in self-defense.
Those incidents remain under review.
Moriarty is seeking access to federal evidence related to both deaths and has not ruled out additional prosecutions.
Another Agent Already Charged
Legal scrutiny is no longer limited to Castro.
Earlier this year, another ICE agent, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after allegedly pointing a firearm at a vehicle while driving on a Minneapolis highway.
Morgan remains on active duty with ICE and recently appeared in court after posting a $100,000 bond.
Federal officials have not indicated whether the government will intervene in Castro’s case by arguing that he acted within the scope of his official duties.
Outcome could test the limits of state authority over federal law enforcement officers and shape future accountability disputes between Washington and local prosecutors.
