A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged with shooting a Venezuelan man during a controversial immigration operation in Minnesota has been arrested in Texas, U.S. authorities announced.
Agent Christian Castro, 52, was taken into custody last Friday after investigators from Minnesota tracked him to the southern state. The arrest was assisted by the Texas Border Patrol and the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of filing a false crime report.
The charges stem from the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement campaign that has drawn widespread criticism for its aggressive tactics.
Prosecutors allege Castro fired a shot through the front door of a home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. “The bullet went through the door, hit a victim in the leg, and lodged in the wall of a child’s room,” the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Minnesota officials welcomed Castro’s arrest, emphasizing that federal agents must be held accountable under the law like any other citizen. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison declared: “In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under law. That means no one is above the law, not even federal government agents.”
The case became a flashpoint after federal authorities initially claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man had attacked ICE agents. Those allegations unraveled when video evidence and other documents contradicted the agents’ accounts, forcing prosecutors to drop charges against Sosa-Celis and his roommate Alfredo Aljorna. DHS later acknowledged that the involved agents had provided false information about the shooting.
Former ICE Director Todd Lyons also confirmed an ongoing federal investigation, stating: “Lying in court is a serious federal crime.” However, ICE, through a spokesperson, dismissed Minnesota’s effort to prosecute the agent, calling it “unlawful” and “a political stunt.”
Castro is the second federal agent charged this year in connection with Operation Metro Surge, reflecting increased scrutiny of agent conduct during the immigration crackdown. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is also investigating other incidents related to the operation.
Operation Metro Surge began in Minnesota in December 2025. By January 14, when Sosa-Celis was shot, hundreds of federal agents had been deployed across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in what has been described as the largest DHS operation in U.S. history. The campaign has sparked intense controversy, particularly following fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens: Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.
