DOJ Considers Federal Charges Against ICE Officer After Shooting of Venezuelan Immigrant in Minneapolis
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The Justice Department is reviewing whether to hold ICE agent Christian Castro accountable for shooting a vulnerable Venezuelan immigrant, as state officials fight for his extradition from Texas amid obstruction from Governor Abbott.
The Justice Department is finally assessing the possibility of filing federal charges against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro, who was arrested in May after Minnesota prosecutors charged him with second-degree assault and false reporting for a January shooting that left a Venezuelan immigrant injured. Despite the gravity of the case, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has so far refused to extradite Castro to Minnesota, where a state lawsuit seeks to bring him to justice—an act that highlights the ongoing obstruction and disregard for immigrant rights by conservative state leaders.
According to a source familiar with the deliberations, federal prosecutors could move forward with charges as early as Tuesday, and a Texas federal judge is set to hear Minnesota’s urgent request for immediate extradition on the same day. The Department of Justice said no charging decision has been made yet, reflecting the slow and often frustrating pace of accountability when law enforcement is accused of violence against marginalized communities.
"As in any case where the conduct at issue may implicate a civil rights charge, U.S. Attorneys offices are required by DOJ policy to consult and work with the civil rights division because that division has the subject matter experts in this area of law," said Emily Covington, director of public affairs for the Justice Department, in an email. "Any charging decisions that come out of such investigations are collaborative and deliberative and adhere to the facts and law of that specific case and controversy."
Covington added that the civil rights division has been in contact with Minnesota prosecutors, describing the discussions as a routine part of ongoing investigations. However, for immigrant communities and advocates, this is yet another example of the system’s reluctance to act swiftly when law enforcement is involved in violence against immigrants.
The incident follows earlier Department of Homeland Security actions that charged the injured immigrant and another individual, but the Justice Department later moved to dismiss those charges, citing inaccurate information provided to the court. Two ICE agents involved have been placed on administrative leave while the department investigates alleged false statements made under oath—a rare but necessary step toward accountability in a system that too often protects its own.