A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he lied to the FBI about shooting through a residential door during a controversial immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Christian Castro, 52, entered his not guilty plea Friday before a U.S. magistrate judge in St. Paul after being indicted on six federal counts of making false statements regarding the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan-born man living legally in the United States.
The case has drawn intense scrutiny due to its timing during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration crackdown that saw multiple firearms incidents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region within weeks of each other.
Allegations and Investigation
According to Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty, Castro fired through a front door into a house containing multiple people. The bullet lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom.
"Mr. Castro invented a story to justify shooting through a front door into a house with multiple people in it," Moriarty said Thursday after Castro entered his state court plea to four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Prosecutors allege Castro told investigators he had been attacked with a broom handle and snow shovel before discharging his weapon—an account later determined to be false. Sosa-Celis, 24, was treated for a bullet wound to his thigh.
The shooting also resulted in federal assault charges against Sosa-Celis and an acquaintance, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna. Both men arrived in the U.S. legally through the federal government's temporary protected status program. Those charges were later dismissed.
Extradition Dispute
Castro initially fled Minnesota for Texas following the incident. He was apprehended in May on the state charges, but extradition has become complicated by political dispute.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has declined to sign an extradition warrant, citing an internal state investigation into Castro's fugitive status. Last month, Abbott announced he was withholding his signature pending the outcome of that review.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has publicly criticized Governor Abbott's handling of the case. The dispute highlights tensions between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement protocols.
Employment Status
ICE placed Castro on administrative leave in February and has suspended him without pay pending the outcome of both his state and federal cases. When initially arrested on state charges, ICE characterized the action as "unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt."
The Castro case is the second of three firearms incidents involving federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge. The operation also saw the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens—Renée Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.
Castro's attorney, Daniel Gerdts, declined to comment on the case as he left the courthouse Friday.
This article is based on reporting from CBC World and the Associated Press.