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A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Christian Castro this week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The New York Times reported that the charges mark a rare instance of the Justice Department under President Trump accusing a federal agent of criminal wrongdoing while on duty. Castro turned himself in to authorities in Texas on Thursday and faces an initial court appearance on Friday, multiple outlets including CNN and Reuters reported. The federal charges remain under seal until he is in custody.
The incident occurred on Jan. 14 during the height of a Trump administration immigration crackdown in the city, The Washington Post reported. Castro and another agent pursued a vehicle driven by an undocumented Venezuelan man, who led them on a chase before crashing and fleeing toward a residence on foot. Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, the driver’s 24-year-old Venezuelan roommate who also lacked legal status, was outside the home at the time. A scuffle broke out on the lawn before the men entered the residence, according to state prosecutors cited by Reuters.
Castro then fired a single shot through the front door, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg, Minnesota authorities alleged in charging documents reviewed by The New York Times. Agents initially claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man had attacked them with a snow shovel and broom handle, prompting federal prosecutors to charge the two Venezuelans with assault. Those charges were dropped after surveillance video from the scene contradicted the officers’ accounts, a development that led the Department of Homeland Security to acknowledge the statements appeared false, according to NBC News.
Minnesota prosecutors charged Castro in May with four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, The Washington Post reported. He spent roughly 90 days in a Texas jail before his release last week after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, declined to sign extradition papers requested by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, Reuters reported. A federal judge in Texas also denied a request to compel the transfer, leaving a state arrest warrant in effect as the federal case proceeds.
The federal indictment focuses on Castro’s statements to FBI investigators rather than a more serious civil rights charge that some prosecutors had pursued, according to ProPublica reporting cited across multiple outlets. An assistant U.S. attorney wrote in an email to lawyers for Sosa-Celis that he objected in the strongest possible terms to the decision but was overruled by superiors at Main Justice and the U.S. attorney. A separate probe into potential civil rights violations remains ongoing, NBC News reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation.
The shooting took place a week after another incident in which an ICE agent fatally shot a U.S. citizen in the area, Newsweek reported, adding to scrutiny of the enforcement surge that prompted weeks of demonstrations and criticism from lawmakers. Castro, who is 52, was suspended by the Department of Homeland Security following the video evidence review. The case has exposed tensions within the Justice Department over accountability during high-profile immigration operations, The New York Times reported.
