ICE agent charged
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
ICE agent Christian Castro was federally charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man Julio Sosa-Celis in.
The rare federal charge against an agent highlights tensions over immigration enforcement and accountability.
Background
The shooting occurred during 'Operation Metro Surge', a Trump administration immigration crackdown in Minnesota that sent thousands of federal agents. Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg in January, and the incident was one of three shootings by agents, two of which were fatal. Castro had been previously charged in state court, and the federal charges mark a rare instance of the Justice Department accusing a federal agent of wrongdoing.
How it unfolded
- Jan 2026Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg during an immigration operation in Minneapolis.
- May 18, 2026Castro was charged in state court with assault and false reporting related to the shooting.
- Aug 27, 2026Castro was released from a Texas jail after Governor Abbott refused to sign an extradition warrant; he was suspended without pay.
- Sep 3, 2026Federal prosecutors charged Castro with making false statements to investigators; the indictment was filed under seal.
Who’s saying what
- Prosecutors
- Federal prosecutors charged Castro with lying to investigators about the shooting.
- Victim's attorney
- Robin Wolpert said the charges are undercharged and that evidence supports civil rights charges.
- DHS
- DHS originally described the incident as an ambush and self-defense, calling the men 'violent criminal illegal aliens'.
Still unverified
The specific details of the federal indictment are not yet public; the charges were reported by sources familiar with the matter. Also, allegations that DOJ officials blocked civil rights charges are based on a ProPublica report.