ICE Agent Faces Assault Charges After Arrest in Texas Over Minneapolis Incident

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man during a controversial immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis has been arrested in Texas, authorities confirmed.

The agent, identified as Christian Castro, was taken into custody in Harlingen, Texas, following a warrant issued by prosecutors in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime over a January 14 shooting that injured Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during a federal immigration operation known as “Operation Metro Surge.”

According to prosecutors, Castro fired his service weapon through the front door of a Minneapolis residence while pursuing another individual. The bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg, passed through a closet, and lodged inside a child’s bedroom. Authorities allege the occupants posed no immediate threat at the time the shot was fired.

The case gained national attention after surveillance footage and other evidence reportedly contradicted initial federal claims that Sosa-Celis and another man had attacked officers with a shovel and broom before the shooting. Federal assault charges initially brought against the two men were later dismissed after investigators discovered evidence that prosecutors described as inconsistent with the officers’ accounts.

Minnesota investigators tracked Castro to Texas, where he was arrested with assistance from the Texas Rangers and federal authorities. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described the arrest as an important step toward accountability and said state prosecutors intend to move forward with the case despite the agent’s federal status.

The Department of Homeland Security has criticized the prosecution, calling it politically motivated, while acknowledging that some officers involved in the incident remain under federal investigation for possible false statements and misconduct.

Castro is the second ICE agent charged in Minnesota this year in connection with alleged misconduct during federal immigration operations. The January enforcement campaign sparked widespread protests and intensified scrutiny of aggressive immigration tactics carried out under the Trump administration’s deportation agenda.

The case is expected to trigger further legal battles over whether the matter remains in state court or is transferred to federal jurisdiction. If convicted under Minnesota law, any sentence would not be eligible for a presidential pardon.