Minnesota prosecutors say they are moving ahead with charges against a federal ICE agent, signaling they will not allow federal authorities to shield law enforcement officers accused of breaking state law during a major immigration enforcement operation earlier this year.
According to the charges, ICE agent Christian Castro, 52, faces four felony counts of assault along with falsifying a police report after allegedly shooting Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg in Minneapolis on January 14 during what federal officials called “Operation Metro Surge.”
The case quickly escalated into a political flashpoint after state prosecutors and federal agencies offered competing accounts of what happened.
Federal officials initially described a chaotic and prolonged confrontation, with Homeland Security at the time calling it an “attempted murder of federal law enforcement” involving multiple weapons. Charges were filed against Sosa-Celis and another man present at the scene.
That narrative later unraveled after video evidence emerged, showing the encounter lasted roughly 12 seconds and did not match the original description of a sustained attack. Charges against both civilians were subsequently dropped, and federal officials acknowledged internal reviews of agent conduct.
Minnesota prosecutors say they were obstructed for months while attempting to identify and obtain records related to the agents involved, forcing state officials to pursue legal action to compel disclosure in multiple cases involving federal shootings on state soil.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said publicly that federal employment does not exempt officers from state accountability, stating: “His federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota.”
Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Castro with a $200,000 bond, though federal agencies have not commented on the case.
This marks the second time this spring that Moriarty’s office has brought charges against a federal immigration agent. In a separate April case, another agent was accused of assault for allegedly pointing a firearm at motorists on a Minnesota highway; that case is also ongoing.
State prosecutors have emphasized that their actions are about enforcing state law consistently, regardless of federal status or agency affiliation.
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