ICE Officer Charged with Lying About Shooting Incident in Minnesota

<p>Federal prosecutors have charged an ICE officer with making false statements to investigators regarding the shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minneapolis earlier this year.</p><p>Christian Castro, 52, is charged with lying to federal agents about the January encounter in which he shot Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg. The offense of making false statements to federal agents carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison, according to The Washington Post.</p><p>The federal charges follow Castro's release from custody in Texas, where he had been arrested on Minnesota charges related to the shooting. His federal charges remain sealed, and he has not yet been taken into federal custody, according to the Post.</p><p>Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated during a May news conference that Castro fired toward a north Minneapolis home “with the intent to cause fear of immediate bodily harm or death to the four adults who were just inside the door.” The bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg before traveling through a closet and into the wall of a child’s bedroom, according to prosecutors.</p><p>Castro allegedly told federal investigators that Sosa-Celis and another man assaulted him with a broom handle and a snow shovel, prompting him to fire his gun in “self-defense,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said during a previous news conference.</p><p>Initially, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Sosa-Celis attempted to “evade arrest” and “began to resist and violently assault” a federal officer. The department stated that two individuals exited a nearby apartment before attacking the officer “with a snow shovel and broom handle.”</p><p>DHS reported that Sosa-Celis then “got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick.”</p><p>“Fearing for his life and safety,” the officer “fired a defensive shot” that hit Sosa-Celis in the leg, according to DHS. Sosa-Celis and two other individuals “ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside” before ICE apprehended them, the agency stated.</p><p>Video footage later raised questions about the initial account. In February, then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced a federal investigation into the incident after footage showed that “sworn testimony provided by two separate officers” appeared to contain “untruthful statements.”</p><p>“Lying under oath is a serious federal offense,” Lyons said at the time.</p><p>“The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,” he added. “Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”</p><p>After the video footage emerged, a federal judge dismissed the charges against the two migrants.</p><p>Authorities arrested Castro in Cameron County, Texas, on May 29 and released him from custody last month after Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott failed to facilitate his extradition to Minnesota. Texas law permits authorities to hold a person in jail while awaiting extradition for up to 90 days.</p>