ICE officer arrested on false-statement charges after Minnesota shooting

A federal grand jury indicted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro on six counts, including making false statements to investigators about a January 2023 shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minnesota. Castro was taken into federal custody in Texas on Thursday and is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Friday.

The incident occurred during a heightened immigration enforcement period in Minnesota. Initial Department of Homeland Security statements described the immigrant, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, as fleeing a traffic stop and being attacked by the officer with a broom handle and snow shovel, prompting the officer to fire a “defensive shot.” Subsequent FBI affidavits and video evidence contradicted those accounts, indicating that Sosa-Celis struck the officer with a broomstick while the officer attempted to arrest another man.

Two other men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Sosa-Celis, were initially charged with assaulting federal officers, but prosecutors dismissed those charges in February after discovering evidence that conflicted with the original allegations.

ICE’s acting head at the time, Todd Lyons, said video evidence showed that sworn testimony from Castro and another officer was untruthful, leading to both officers being placed on administrative leave. Castro remains suspended without pay.